One technology that’s become integral in driving the customer’s off-premises journey is digital signage. Once employed by only the biggest brands, operators are finding out that digital signage offers the type of flexibility that is now coming in clutch as consumers and brands alike pivot to different modes of doing business.
“People don’t always think of digital signage as a value proposition that’s part of a greater outcome, but that’s literally the purpose of digital signage,” says IV Dickson, vice president of digital signage at SageNet. “How can I engage the customer beyond a human associate, beyond a website, beyond a printed piece of information, and then form a branded experience immediately when they walk in the door, or enter a drive thru?”
Here’s a look at three ways digital signage is helping operators offer a great customer experience that will keep them coming back, leading to a greater connection between the brand and its customers.
- Build A Connection
One of the reasons that digital signage has steadily grown over the years is that it helps offset some of the customer service issues caused by a shortage in labor. Digital signage can even forge a branded experience with a customer prior to their engagement with an employee.
“At SageNet, we do two things really well: We maximize technology from day one, and beyond,” Dickson says. “And we build trusted connections between SageNet and our customers, and between our customers and their consumers to create confidence, familiarity and operational ease.”
- Streamline the Experience
Whereas before COVID most quick-serve restaurants had to master dine-in and drive-thru service, there are more challenges in 2020. How do you serve customers curbside? How do you make a drive thru faster when it’s bogged down with cars that may be occupied by third-party delivery drivers, or someone there to pick up an order they placed on a mobile device?
One way SageNet is seeking to make curbside delivery that much more efficient is by geo-tracking cars as they find a parking spot on a restaurant’s lot, meaning it’s that much easier to ensure the right order finds the right car. That also thins out the drive-thru queue and means the restaurant’s different channels for off-premises ordering aren’t competing against one another.
“The business objective for our clients hasn’t changed,” Dickson says. “They want to offer quality food products at a reasonable price, be profitable, and offer good service. What we’re saying now is: How do I change the customer’s path without changing the objective? The answer is to streamline the digital experience.”
- Partner with the right provider
Dickson likes to say that digital signage is easy, but it can be very complex. That’s one of the reasons SageNet emphasizes the fact that they are both an AV and IT company, which means they help brands set up their ecosystem of technology, maximize its usage, as well as help them fix it if anything goes wrong. What does that mean for brands? It means their restaurant staff can focus on the things they are trained to do rather than trying to constantly troubleshoot on the phone with IT experts.
It also means that a trusted brand—in business for over 30 years—is always there to innovate, tinker with technologies, and ensure that those technologies are always being leveraged to produce the best possible outcomes, says Dickson.
“We offer a quick to deploy, easy-to-manage, scalable digital experience solution that can grow as our customers do,” Dickson says. “Our SageVIEW solution helps increase basket sizes, promote new health and safety precautions, and enhance communications in the front and back of house, as well as the drive thru. What brand couldn’t use those features right now?”
To find out more about how SageNet’s SageVIEW solution can help improve your off-premises game, visit its website.
By Charlie Pogacar
