Those of us who regularly visit restaurants, either alone or with families, have all, at one point or another, come across a restaurant paging system. We’re all familiar with the scenario, especially on busy nights when the restaurant seems more than packed: the smiling host informs us how long our wait for a table will be and then takes the name of someone in our party, along with the number of people in the group. Then, she will hand one of us, what looks to be, a hard, plastic coaster covered in lights. A few minutes later, the “coaster” will vibrate, indicating that our table is available. We are ready for our meal to begin, but our restaurant experience was already underway.
What is a Restaurant Paging System?
A restaurant paging system is designed to make the dining-out experience a more pleasant and efficient one, for both guests and restaurant staff. Whether shaped like a pager or a coaster, the use of paging systems in the restaurant industry has proved effective in improving sales, customer service and the guest experience. Consisting of a transmitter that is set up in a key location and communicates with numerous pagers, the purpose of a restaurant paging system is to enhance the customer experience while increasing revenue for the business.
Types and Uses for Paging Systems
There are various types of restaurant pager systems, used in various applications. The most common applications for a restaurant pager system include:
- Host-to-staff communication. Eliminating the need for noisy overhead PAs that can disrupt your guests’ dining experience, while giving staff the room and flexibility needed to deliver excellent customer service, restaurant paging systems allow staff to notify guests of available room quickly, quietly and efficiently. Pagers also give guests the freedom to go outside, chat with members in their party or chill out at the bar until a table becomes available—at which point, the beeper will vibrate and the host can guide guests to their seats. More importantly, it keeps guests from being discouraged by the wait and makes the entrance and seating area less congested and, therefore, safer and more pleasant to navigate for both guests and staff.
- Customer-to-staff communication. Occasionally, restaurants will install push-for-service paging systems on guest tables to ensure that the staff remains attentive. Oftentimes, a restaurant with a smaller staff struggles with more time being taken away from guests in favor of operational duties. With a push-button pager, for example, customers can press a button and contact their waiter or waitress through a paging system that will inform the wait staff member that one of their tables needs service. It ensures prompt and efficient service for the customer, along with a renewed sense of meticulous attention from the staff.
- Kitchen-to-server communication. Many restaurants today have extended the use of a restaurant paging system to the kitchen, where kitchen staff can page a server when an orders for their table is ready. This increases efficiency by getting meals to their tables in a shorter amount of time and at the proper temperature, thus increasing the level of customer satisfaction.
A restaurant paging system is an effective, innovative and valuable tool for increasing customer satisfaction, improving staff performance and, ultimately, getting guests to keep coming back for more. To learn more about how a restaurant paging system can help your business, visit us today at the Long Range Systems’ website, www.pager.net!
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