The Covid-19 pandemic took the world by storm and businesses across industries were affected in more ways than one. The food industry was not spared either. The pandemic forced restaurants to close their doors to the public indefinitely. Social distancing norms and the subsequent lockdowns caused many food lovers to dine out less. The only way people could relish their favourite dishes was to place orders online on food delivery apps and get the food delivered to their homes.
Restaurants all across the globe had no choice but to adapt to the restrictions laid out by their respective countries and ensure there is an efficient distribution channel to arrange for home deliveries.
As a restaurant, you may be using a food delivery platform to sell your food and over time you notice that they are charging higher commissions than they did when you first started. Apart from that, you also realize that you have no idea as to who your end customers are. You ship out orders daily but have no customer data to know who you are catering to.
If you are a restaurant owner looking to boost your business amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic, the use of messaging apps like WhatsApp can go a long way in helping you meet the growing demands of your customers, who are unable to move around or dine at your restaurant. In addition, you will have access to all the data on who your customers are. If you are looking to bring down costs, cut spending on delivery apps, and serve customers better, then WhatsApp for Business is the way forward.
Top Benefits of using WhatsApp Business API for restaurants
We will play out the reasons why restaurants need to opt for WhatsApp Business API to serve customers seamlessly and sail through these tough times.
1. Access to customer data
When the food delivery business is predominantly controlled by third-party apps, there is very little that restaurants can do in terms of getting access to customer data, let alone knowing customer food preferences. By getting onboard WhatsApp Business API, restaurants can have direct access to customer data and get deep insights into what their preferences are. When a customer messages you on WhatsApp, you can view their names and phone numbers. In addition, when customers share their location via WhatsApp, you can use the information to build a mental map of where your orders are coming from, and how you can offer top-notch services to cater to those areas in the future.
2. Ease of use
WhatsApp is an app that most people are familiar with. The groundwork is done for you, all you have to do is be available on the platform so users can easily reach out to you. Moreover, people need no training on how to use WhatsApp. Customers can order food from wherever they are located, through any device and expect a quick response and faster delivery from restaurants without any hassles.
3. Improves messaging content with rich media
WhatsApp Business API allows you to create and share notification templates that capture order details and update customers on the status of their orders. WhatsApp lets you share rich media in the form of images, maps, menu templates, receipts and much more. Also if a customer faces any issue with their order, they can quickly get in touch with your customer support executive on WhatsApp for a quick resolution.
4. Users don’t have to juggle between multiple food delivery apps
There are a lot of food delivery apps out there and customers are tired of downloading multiple apps and are finding it hard to keep up with the latest offerings on all of them. There are 2.4 million apps available on Android phones and the Apple App store is not far behind with 1.8 million apps. That’s huge, which explains why a lot of users are facing
‘app fatigue’. Today customers prefer apps that can offer multiple services, something that WhatsApp is capable of offering.
5. Builds brand loyalty
If you offer some level of discounts and cash backs in your quest to increase customer engagement, it’s bound to increase customer loyalty to your brand.
Take the example of the Starbucks loyalty program that increased the company’s revenue by 2.65 billion. If you are relying on food delivery apps, customer loyalty is towards the app and not your restaurant.
Popular use cases of WhatsApp Business API
• Effortlessly send transactional and promotional messages including discounts and offers to improve customer engagement.
• Use the quick replies feature on WhatsApp Business API to take care of frequently asked customer queries.
• Share real-time updates to help customers track their orders.
• Deliver notifications with rich media to opted- in customers using the notifications template feature on WhatsApp Business API.
• Track customer engagement in the form of read receipts, clicks, shares and location.
• Add a click to chat WhatsApp button on your Facebook Ads to allow Facebook users to connect with your restaurant on WhatsApp.
• Use the responsive chat widget to allow customers to place orders via WhatsApp.
• Send WhatsApp Template messages to share order confirmation, order delivered messages.
• Obtain direct feedback from customers on the quality of your service through WhatsApp messages.
• Send automated personalized notifications to inform customers of your latest and most popular dishes.
Boost your restaurant business with WhatsApp Business API!
Interakt is the official WhatsApp Business API provider that will help you reach customers on WhatsApp and manage customer conversations to increase engagement and drive sales. Get access to WhatsApp Business API on Interakt to meet the growing demands of your customers and offer the best customer service that will keep them coming back for more! Set your restaurant business up for success, sign up on Interakt today and start your free trial.
