Every restaurant owner understands the importance of customer feedback. You can improve your restaurant to your heart’s content, but at the end of the day, it’s the customer opinion that counts. And there are details they’re going to notice that you probably won’t.
Here’s five easy ways restaurants can collect customer feedback.
Social Media. You’d be surprised what you can learn about your restaurant just from checking social media. Even without directly asking for feedback. Customers are going to leave you feedback on social media, whether you’re asking for it or not (and you should ask for it).
What’s important about managing customer feedback on social media is that you respond to it. Both positive and negative. Be sure to thank customers for leaving positive feedback, while apologizing for the negative. Even if you don’t think it’s justified. Always take the high road.
Text and Email Marketing. Have a text club? Email newsletter? Start using them to collect some valuable feedback. Try using your text club for questions like “What special is your favorite?” Quick questions with quick answers. For email, you can write longer surveys. But don’t overdo it. Keep it brief, ask the essential questions, and seal the deal by offering a reward (e.g. a free appetizer).
Loyalty Programs. Leveraging your loyalty program is a great way to collect the sort of crucial feedback you might not find elsewhere. This type of feedback is particularly beneficial because it’s sourced from your most loyal customers. These are the people that dine with you frequently. Not only should their feedback be valued at a high level, they’re going to notice things your average customer might not.
The best part? They’ll be happy to share. They’re your loyal customers for a reason. If you’re asking them through your loyalty program, all you need to do is offer them loyalty points in exchange for say, filling out a quick feedback form, or answering a question you’ve posed.
Reviews. Have you been keeping track of your restaurant’s review presence? At the very least, I’m sure you’re aware of the reviews you’re receiving. But what’s important is that you’re actually learning from them. Take note of every criticism from every review. (Hopefully it’s all constructive!)
Want more reviews? How about better reviews too? We’ve got you covered on both fronts. Click here for five easy ways to get more reviews. And click here for seven quick tips on improving those reviews.
Ask. At the end of the day, people tend to be eager to share their experiences. Asking in person can actually be an effective method, especially if you’ve trained your staff to ask customers about their experiences at the end of a meal. There can be a lot of authenticity in a spontaneous answer given in person, without the customer having to sit and think about it.
Collect Feedback With CoGoBuzz
Ready to make collecting customer feedback simple, easy, and affordable? With CoGoBuzz, our state-of-the-art digital marketing service, we leverage your in-business WiFi to collect profile information from guests via Facebook, Email Address, or Phone Number, which we then use to develop full customer profiles. You’ll gain access to a fully digital text-based loyalty program, providing you with an easy way to get valuable customer feedback your restaurant needs. We’ll even hook you up with automatic Facebook followers!
Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz!
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How does your restaurant collect feedback? Sound off in the comments!