Nothing should interrupt a customer who’s keen to give you money! The sales term is ‘grease the slide’ – removing any friction that stops a customer completing a sale. Check for any bumps or roadblocks you may have created – here are some solutions:
Take more Credit Cards: Do you accept the whole range? Amex fees are a bit higher, but ‘no Amex’ rules get people offside, especially if they want the points. Are you still avoiding cards? Don’t make it hard for people with no cash in their pocket – tap and pay is now standard.
QR Coder Ordering at the Table – Me&U, Mr Yum, OrderUp and Bopple are popular choices, dynamically linked to your menu so that they always show what’s available. Scan the QR Code or tap on the order disc for an NFT connection to the app.
Enable ApplePay and Google Pay – so frustrating when you have to enter your credit card details to pay each time. With pay systems enabled, just order with the app and double click to pay – easy. Make sure they are also available on your e-commerce site for merchandise and delivery orders.
QR Code Payments (coming soon in Aust.) – scan the QR Code on your bill and it brings up payment details to authorise.
Link your POS to the EFTPOS terminal. So the amount due shows up on the card terminal, eliminating the need to re-enter it. Now possible with many POS systems but not all – it means faster tap and go, and eliminates errors.
More mobile EFTPOS terminals for busy times. Arrive at the table with the bill and the means to pay it, so customers are out the door quickly. It also feels more secure when we can see the card transaction.
Make it easy to set up a Tab. A common practice in many bars – your credit card is held as security for an ordering card.
Set up Online Catering Orders. If you handle standard catering products, it’s now essential and will be built into the order system you use. Set up a PayPal or Stripe business account, then you can easily add a ‘Pay Now’ button on your website.
Accept Event and Gift Card Payments Online: if you’re promoting entertainment or special events, use the payment options with a service such as EventBrite. It’s available in multiple currencies and widely used – the service fee isn’t much different to your credit card merchant charge, and you save on paperwork.
Sell Food & Drink in Advance: Here’s a typical deal offered by clever cafes: ‘buy 10 coffees now for the price of 8’ – the customer hands over $20 and gets 10 coffees normally worth $25. And you have a nice boost to the cash flow. Large groups like Starbucks will load up a card with any prepaid amount – this is the small business version.
Change when and where people Pay. Is payment at the end of the meal causing a bottleneck? Or maybe the problem is when everyone pays in advance at a cashier that holds up the line. Look closely at the workflow – time and location of payment could ease the flow. Eg people pay for their optional dessert when they collect their meal on a buffet line, eliminating the need for a second payment.
Take this further – do a full audit on your the Net Easy Score (NES) for your Restaurant or Cafe – so many ways to increase turnover.
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