Smart mobile device technology has changed how food service companies run their businesses today. From taking orders through an interactive food menu to managing digitized food delivery, modern technology can now make almost every aspect of operating a food business simpler and more convenient.
Many industry experts believe that mobile food ordering and delivery is the future of food service. These days, people don’t have to wait long in a queue or dictate their orders over the phone just to get access to good food.
As restaurants start incorporating food ordering mobile apps in their system, the entire process becomes streamlined, ensuring that orders are taken and delivered on time, every time. In this article, you will learn what restaurants should look for in these apps.
5 Key Features to Look for in a Food Delivery App
The whole point of having a mobile app for food delivery is to make sure that customers have the most convenient and hassle-free experience in giving and getting their orders. Aside from that, these apps make the whole process – from ordering to food delivery – simpler, thus resulting in more efficient and effective service as well as happier customers.
To get the most out of the available technology, it is crucial that your mobile food delivery app possesses these five key features:
1. User-Friendly Interface
While statistics show that 70 percent of customers want to access food menus from their mobile phones, there are still some people who aren’t as keen on ordering food through this channel. This is why the app you choose must have a user-friendly interface that is both intuitive and easy to understand so you can encourage more people to see the app as an advantage.
2. Order Management
On the business side, order management is vital in ensuring that everything is organized and monitored for optimum efficiency. Thanks to this feature in the mobile food ordering software, you and your restaurant manager can stay on top of all orders received and find out their status with just a tap or a click.
3. Status Update
A great mobile delivery app offers a fast and easy way for restaurants to give updates on the status of the order.
Whether the food is still being prepared or is already on its way, your customers would want to be in-the-know when it comes to details of their food order. Since it can be quite hectic inside the restaurant, your staff should be able to update the status of customers’ orders with a single tap.
4. Delivery Scheduling and Tracking
For customers, it is imperative that your mobile food ordering and delivery app offer a way to schedule food delivery at their most convenient time.
In addition, customers must be able to track their orders. This tracking feature can also help manage customers’ expectations as they are made aware if there are any delays caused by situations beyond the restaurant’s or delivery personnel’s control.
This tracking feature requires the integration of GPS in the app, allowing real-time updates on an order’s location to be sent to customers.
5. Delivery Management
Another crucial feature that should be included in your mobile delivery app is delivery management. This allows anyone from the staff – not just the manager – to assign people to do deliveries as the need arises.
The app should also be able to notify the restaurant admin panel as soon as orders arrive via push notifications. The faster this process goes, the better your customers’ experience will be.
Digitizing Food Delivery
Both service- and product-oriented businesses can now make use of the Internet and the ever-progressing technology of smartphones to their advantage. This can offer a valuable boost in operational efficiency and customer service for restaurants and other food providers.
From taking orders online, the industry is now moving forward with food delivery services managed through mobile apps. To make sure that you choose the right app for your food business, look for these five key features before purchasing the software.
AUTHOR BIO
Ahmad Alzaini is the co-founder and CEO of Foodics, a fast-growing foodtech startup. A businessman by nature, Alzaini is an app aficionado, developing businesses in Saudi Arabia within several industries. Today, Foodics has extended to new markets across the MENA region, processing over 1 billion transactions, and offering the latest technology in POS and restaurant management.
