3 Key Customer Experience Strategies for QSR, Fast Casual and Restaurant Brands

When it comes to restaurants, fast-casual dining establishments and quick service restaurants (QSRs), customer experience is king. And these days, the customer experience extends far beyond the walls of your establishment. Companies from Starbucks to Chipotle are leveraging digital platforms to engage customers wherever they are, and the industry leaders are sticking to three key strategies. 

Read on to learn more about these three strategies, or watch our webinar, “How QSR, Fast Casual, and Restaurant Brands Can Create Incredible Customer Experiences” for a more complete look.

Key Strategy 1: Use Data to Get the Full Picture

To create personalized experiences you’ve got to get to know your customers. The timing, mode of delivery and even the length and type of content you’re sharing can and should be shaped by their preferences. This is the real value and strength of robust customer data.

For example, with a comprehensive understanding of your customer, you can craft a loyalty program that’s built to keep them engaged and drive repeat visits. A successful loyalty program also creates a direct line between marketing actions and business outcomes, helping you build the case for bigger and better investments.

Key Strategy 2: Navigate Channel Complexity Through Customer Profiles

Many businesses are wary of irritating or overwhelming their customers by sending too many messages across the wide range of channels they have available—and with good reason. Even a single poorly-timed text can turn an engaged customer into a distant one.

For restaurants, the solution is to leverage detailed customer data to create profiles that guide and shape decision making. From location data to buying behaviors, these data sets drive smart decisions that help you create the best customer experience possible. 

Key Strategy 3: Focus on Repeat Behavior and Loyalty

Engaged customers are repeat customers, and as we all know it’s better and more cost-efficient to retain current customers than to acquire new ones. Plus, customer retention has a compounding effect on overall sales and growth as your diners find favorite dishes, engage in your loyalty program, and respond to your incentives or offers.

This means that restaurants can benefit hugely from optimizing their current customer experiences and focusing on long-term loyalty from the get-go. While loyalty programs and promotions can play a big role in this, even something as simple as a well-delivered welcome series for a new app user can result in 3x user retention.

Three strategies, one goal: An outstanding customer experience for restaurants, fast-casual dining establishments, and QSRs. For a more detailed look into how your restaurant can keep your customers coming back for seconds, make sure to watch the webinar!