How Can an App Boost Your Chain’s Bottom Line?

There are apps for everything these days, from tracking time, to storing files, to interacting with customers. There’s an expression in the business world from Peter Drucker: “What gets measured gets managed”. That’s exactly what the goal is when it comes to using apps to boost your bottom line.

It’s hard to know where to begin making changes in your business if you aren’t measuring your current performance. Financial data is helpful but it’s also important to understand how those numbers came to be by studying non-financial areas like customer service and visibility.

The restaurant industry is no different. Large restaurant chains like Panera and Dunkin’ Donuts have started using apps in areas like customer retention and rewards. Besides improving customer retention, apps can also increase your bottom line by reducing paper, maintaining visibility, and increasing staff productivity.

Improve Customer Retention

Everyone loves convenience and apps make it really easy for customers to order ahead of time so their beverage or meal is waiting for them when they get to the restaurant. They don’t need to dial a number and wait on hold – or even worse, call an 800-number that doesn’t even get them to their local franchise! No more losing business because a customer can’t get through to you.

Reduce Paper

When files are stored in an app, there’s really no need to print reports anymore. It’s really easy to pull up the report you need and view it using your phone, tablet, or PC. An app stores files in such a way that they’re accessible from any device with an Internet connection. No more printing reports means a lot lower costs in office supplies like paper and ink.

Maintain Visibility

Just like social media, apps aren’t going away anytime soon. Using apps in your business shows that you’re modern and keeps you in the forefront of your customers’ minds. Mobile phone usage accounts for 65% of digital media time. It’s much easier for your customers to look you up on their phone then to run home and log on to their computers. The more that people see you, the more chances you have to make sales.

Increase Staff Productivity

Apps can be used to track staff activity, providing insights into where improvements are needed and even creating friendly competitions among staff. Restaurant chains can use an app like IncentivizeMe to create contests and track employee results, including the impact on projected and final sales as well as the bottom line. Employees have the ability to see their own stats so they’re motivated to improve their performance. Improved employee performance increases overall restaurant efficiency.

Now that you know a few ways apps can help improve your bottom line, wouldn’t it be worth finding one that’s right for your business? Contact Marketing Vitals today to learn more about our solutions and how we can help improve your bottom line.