Behind the scenes of a successful food catering service, there are often many tasks needing to be done at once. Manually taking orders shouldn’t have to be one of them.
For many of these businesses, their catering order management process consists of a phone call from an interested customer and an employee taking notes. When there are several different orders coming in at once, it’s easy to imagine how hectic this can become. In this situation, it’s easy for errors to be made, which can result in unhappy customers, which is the last thing you want.
Instead of using a manual process, every catering business should implement an automated food catering order management solution. Using an automated solution will make the process much better and more efficient for everyone involved.
An automated solution begins with online ordering through a digital form, then the solution does most of the communication work automatically. This includes sending a confirmation message once the order is received and another shortly before the order is complete. On the day of the delivery, the customer will receive notifications that update them about their order. Just like that, the process is pretty much complete.
If you’d like to learn more about the steps of implementing this solution, check out this blog. However, in this blog, we will go over some of the benefits of using an automated system for your catering order management.
Save Time
As was previously mentioned, manual catering order management will most likely consist of an employee answering order requests via phone calls. When calls come in, this will take time away from other tasks that need to be done, such as fulfilling orders. With an automated solution, you can simply receive a notification when someone places an order using an online form.
If caterers have been using the same catering order management process for years, it may take some time for them to get used to a new process. However, once they get used to the new solution, they will surely notice how much time it saves them and how much more efficient it is.
Reduce Errors
Taking orders manually can be prone to human error. Whether it’s a spelling mistake or putting the wrong dollar amount for an order, anything can happen when it comes to relying on pen and paper to take down orders. When you combine a task like this with a high-stress environment, mistakes are bound to happen.
Using an automated solution will reduce these errors since the customer will be in total control of filling out the form. This will reduce errors on your end and save you money since there won’t be as many mistakes made.
Better the Customer Experience
Automation helps everyone involved when it comes to the catering industry. Customers also benefit from you implementing an automated catering order management solution. They will be able to take their time with the order form and customize their order exactly how they would like.
Automation also allows managers to track customer information at any time. With a manual solution, employees would need to search through whatever way they store files. With an automated solution, if they are unsure about a certain aspect of the order, they can go back to the form submission and see exactly what the customer filled out.
Standardize the Process
A catering business has many moving parts and automation can help them work better together. There are many different aspects in the supply, production, and distribution processes and you need to have a process that makes them flow together.
This challenge is especially important because the quality of the food is the primary way that catering companies differentiate themselves from the competition. A big mistake, such as allowing contaminated food to reach the customer, can permanently harm a company’s brand reputation.
Looking for an automated food catering management solution?
Look no further than SimplyCast. Here at SimplyCast, we have created an all-in-one solution that can help improve your catering order management process. Using our form builder, contact management and automation tools, the solution can be used by any restaurant or catering service who regularly accepts and fulfills catering orders. You can customize the solution to fit your needs and meet the requirements of your business.
Click the button below to request a demo from our knowledgeable team, who can show you how to use SimplyCast’s catering order management solution.
