6 Ways Restaurants can use Online Survey Tools

Food industry is growing day by day and there are many restaurants at one location. But have you noticed why some restaurants are always occupied and customers are waiting for their turn to occupy a table, whereas some are unoccupied and you cannot see more than one or two customers at a point of time.

All restaurant owners and managers want their restaurant to grow and attain big success soon, but only some are able to achieve what they dream. All this depends on how much satisfied your customers are with your food and service. Customer Satisfaction can be measured by obtaining Customer Feedback.

Measure Restaurant Feedback and Satisfaction 🍽️

Gauge feedback from guests and visitors at various touchpoints in your restaurant.

Customer Feedback is nothing but the information about what your customers think and feel about your restaurant and the food and service offered at your restaurant. Restaurant Surveys are a great way to collect this feedback. When we talk about surveying your restaurant customers, that doesn't mean that you need to approach your guests in the middle of their meal with a pen and paper and ask them to fill long survey forms.

This task has become much easier with the help of Online Survey Tools. Nowadays, there are many Restaurant Survey Software with the help of which you can get Guest Feedback thorough different ways without taking much of your customers' time. Let's learn how you can do this.

How Restaurants can Use Online Survey Tools to capture Customer Feedback

Restaurant Survey Apps help you obtain Customer Feedback in a number of ways. You can utilize these online survey tools to get feedback, work on them and climb the ladder of success. Let's list out some great ways to do this.

Let's learn how to work on these ways deriving maximum benefits of a Restaurant Survey Software:

1. Handing over Tablet Feedback Devices to Guests

This method of capturing feedback is ideal for taking on-premises feedback from the dine-in customers. Your staff can approach the customers post-meal and request them for giving a feedback. You can hand-over your tablet and give some time to the customers in order to take the feedback survey.

After some time, you staff can collect the tablet. This method is one of the best ways to use a survey platform. This not only helps in obtaining fresh and accurate feedback, but also makes the guests feel valued. Moreover, in case there is some negative feedback, you get an opportunity to resolve the things on time before the customers have left the restaurant. This helps to prevent customers churning out.

Dissatisfied customers usually never return to a restaurant.

2. Set up Self-Service Offline Feedback Kiosks to get Customer Feedback

You can also setup self-service kiosks to obtain feedback from the customers. Self-service Offline Kiosks are the most suited option for you if you are running a quick survey restaurant or a cafe. You can set up these kiosks as various touchpoints like at the reception or billing counter, in the lounge area or near the buffet area.

This will enable the guests to give feedback at their own convenience. They can take the survey after placing the order while waiting for their food, they can do it post-meal while waiting for the bill, or simply while visiting restroom. You don't need to keep a watch on them for a suitable time to ask for feedback.

3. Print Feedback Link or QR Code in Bills & Delivery Boxes

You can also choose to distribute generated dynamic QR codes to the customers to receive Customer Feedback. Basically, a QR code works in the same way as a bar code at a retail store. A QR code consists of a number of black squares and dots which represent certain pieces of information. When the customers scan this code through their smartphones, it will translate into a survey form to be filled.

This is a great way to obtain feedback if you are running a take away restaurant or providing home delivery restaurant food and services. The QR codes can be printed on the billing receipts or delivery boxes along with your message requesting for feedback by scanning the code.

4. Send SMS & Email Feedback

The Restaurant Surveys can also be sent to the customers through email and SMS. This is also a most suitable way of using an Online Survey Tool to obtain Customer Feedback in case of takeaways and home deliveries.

An email or an SMS survey can be sent to the customers post delivery or billing of a takeaway order to ask about their experience with your brand using an email survey tool or SMS survey software. In an SMS survey, a message is sent asking and motivating to take the survey followed by a survey link.

In an email survey, either a similar process is followed by sending an email message
followed by a survey link in the email, or an embedded survey. In an embedded survey, first question of the survey is visible in the email itself and as the customers respond to that question, the other questions will appear.

5. Embed Feedback Form on Website

You can also embed a survey form on your website. This is an evergreen way to take online survey suitable for all options, whether you are running a dine-in restaurant or a takeaway point, or a home delivery service.

In this method, you can embed feedback forms on your official website where customers can easily visit and take a survey. The survey link or the embedded survey with a question should be easily visible on the main page itself so that if customers want to give feedback, they do not have to keep searching the feedback form on your website.

6. Share Feedback Link on Social Media

Use of Social media has increased to a large extent in the recent years. Most of the people are nowadays active on social media. Social media websites like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have become a common media for people to vent out their feelings and emotions. And many people's decision of visiting a hotel or restaurant depends on the comments and reviews about that place on social media.

Nearly 3 in 4 customers (72 percent) have used Facebook to make restaurant or retail decisions, based on comments and images that have been shared by other users.

So you cannot ignore the importance of social media these days. You must create a website page of your restaurant. On that page, you can give a feedback link where your customers can easily share their reviews about your restaurant and the food and services offered there.

Make sure to respond to every feedback you receive in the form of review or a comment to thank the customers for sharing their views. Let's read out some more tips which can help you effectively take customer survey. You can also use ready Whatsapp message templates to boost interaction with your clients or potential customers.

Tips for Restaurants while capturing Customer Feedback through Online Survey tools

1. Approach the on-premises customers the right time

Whenever you or your staff approach you dine-in guests for feedback, ensure to go on the right time. Never disturb them in between a meal. Always approach post-meal before or while billing.

2. Make surveys short and simple

Everybody is busy nowadays and don't want to spend much time in filling long survey forms. So create very short surveys with simple questions that the customers can easily take without having to spend much of their time.

3. Inform time to take survey in advance

It is a very good practice to inform the customers in advance the time to taken to complete the survey. This serves double purpose. First, customers are informed in advance about the time taken so that they can plan when to take the survey.

Secondly, it conveys that you care about the precious time of the customers. You can use a motivating line like "Help us to serve you better by spending just 2 minutes to share your experience through this short survey".

4. Survey links should open in seconds

Ensure that your survey opens in seconds once customers clicks on the survey link provided to them. If it takes much time, customers tend to leave it in between and close the link.

5. Always express gratitude for sharing feedback

Whenever you receive a feedback, always express gratitude to the customers for sparing their precious time to share their valuable insights. Whether you receive feedback through emails surveys, SMS surveys or in the form of a comment on social media, you must thank the customer for giving feedback.

Learn more about the Restaurant Surveys

• Five Questions To Ask in a Restaurant Customer Experience Survey

• Top 6 Questions You Should Ask While Collecting Restaurant Feedback

• 18 Apps that Restaurant Owners and Managers Must Have in 2020

• How to get Customer Feedback for Restaurants during COVID-19 Pandemic?