This week there have been a number of rumours swirling around the industry that various regions of the UK are on the verge of tightening the social distancing rules placed the hospitality industry. Going into the latest lockdown, food and drink businesses around the UK have been allowed to trade through click & collect and delivery. This week, that changed; in Scotland the rules around click & collect were amended to prevent in-venue pickups. It wasn’t the worst scenario that could be imagined, and consumers were told they can still use order ahead for collection, but this must now be facilitated through the door or a hatch.
Naturally, businesses in the rest of the UK are watching on, waiting to see if their region will follow suit, or go further. Needless to say, while they wait, they will be considering what their next steps should be. Our recommendation is kerbside collection.
To run a kerbside collection, a business needs just two things: somewhere a vehicle can park, and technology to facilitate the service. With both of these in place, guests simply drive into an allotted ‘collection car space’ and a staff member delivers the order into the car boot.
Theravada can’t create parking spaces, but it can offer the best technology, first in the form of an online ordering solution, and second with an integrated customer tracking platform. Working in conjunction with each other, these platforms allow a brand to receive orders and payment, know what time the customer is due to arrive – and be alerted when they actually do! Furthermore, they make it possible for a customer to communicate directly with the venue, notifying them of delays to their journey, or post collection, to any problems with their order.
Check out the video below to see how our customer tracking product works:
Whether restrictions are tightened or not, kerbside collection is a solution that can offer brands fresh opportunities to sell, driving revenue and enhancing the customer experience. With shorter customer wait times, and more efficient serving operations, it’s an opportunity (with or without COVID-19) every food brand should explore.
Contact us now to discuss online ordering and customer tracking can work for your business and the benefits it can offer.
