Blog

As we continue to engage with grocers and restauranteurs, a common theme seems to be emerging: the question of “How do I make my customers feel valued?”

Now, if this was any other time in history, the answer would be clear. But with the uncertainty that the pandemic created, a new approach and mindset has become necessary to tackle this looming issue.

To effectively answer the question, we must first look at the historical approach.

Relationships have always been the key to business success. Whether it’s knowing a person by name—or at least recognizing them by face as they walk through the doors—that’s when and where success traditionally began. It was having employees who could remember individuals’ interests and preferences for food and drinks, their dietary needs and allergies, and so much more. These were real, well-forged relationships built on communication, meaningful conversations, and plain hard work over a long period of time.

So where does that leave us today? This last year has limited in-person communications and forced businesses and consumers to change the way they connect entirely. Oddly enough, the sentiment has not changed—only the channels by which the relationship is fostered.

This connection is the root of solving that customer experience question of how to make them feel valued. And it all begins with data.

Today, the perception of personal data has changed greatly. What was once guarded is now openly shared with the world. Customers are willing to share their personal data, including preferences and purchase habits as long as they know it will provide them value in return.

This means that customers are sharing their data, with the expectation that you use it to enhance their experience.

It means that you can—with the right systems in place (I’ll get to that in a minute)—personalize interactions at every step.

The exciting part is that the customer relationship now extends far past the four walls of the establishment. What was once an in-store-only interaction, now becomes a virtual 24/7 interaction point. The old-school conversation has been brought to an entirely new domain.

The business owner can now ask questions, create surveys, leverage information from scan-and-learn functionality; and build profiles based on past purchases, buying times, and a never-ending list of personal preferences.

This power and connectivity with individuals is unprecedented, as is the potential. Now, every interaction—whether online, in-store, or in-app—enables any one team member to surprise and delight customers with communications that only they as an individual care about.

It’s here that the topic of “the right systems” comes firmly into play. From collecting data and actioning insights, all the way down to having a mobile app—all of this is required, and simultaneously sounds complicated, not to mention expensive.

In all honesty, it can be complicated and expensive with some vendors of choice—unless that vendor is omNovos.

We have purpose-built the entirety of our offerings to be highly accessible to restaurants and grocers—ensuring that implementation and the path to success starts within mere hours of engagement. We have built solutions that do away with long development cycles and ramp-up times. Instead, we enable our customers to engage with their customers immediately.

The outcome? By delivering highly-personalized engagements to every customer, they immediately begin to choose your brand over the competition—all due to an intense feeling of loyalty as they feel you know them better than any other establishment. As such, they are compelled to give your their business—going elsewhere would be disrespecting the newly found relationship.

In the end, the answer to the question, “How do I make my customers feel valued?” is simple. Invest in a solution that is built to invest in the customer—proving that they are valued. The rest, as they say, is gravy.