Moving from Email to Digital Ordering: A Simple Guide to Help Your Customers Make the Switch

Guide on transitioning restaurants, cafes and bars from email to digital ordering.
Published on
September 15, 2024

Switching your customers from email ordering to a digital platform can feel a little tricky. They’re used to what they know, and change can be intimidating. But if you guide them through the process and show them how much easier digital ordering can be, the transition can be much smoother than expected. Here’s a simple guide to help them along the way.

1. Start Small and Simple

Don’t overwhelm your customers right away. Introduce the new ordering system gently. Send an email explaining what the digital platform is, and focus on how it’ll make their lives easier—faster order processing, fewer mistakes, and they can place orders anytime, even outside office hours. The key is to let them know this change is all about helping them, not making things more complicated.

2. Give Them Easy-to-Follow Guides

Not everyone is tech-savvy, so a little hand-holding can go a long way. Create simple, step-by-step guides—maybe a short video or a quick PDF. Show them how to log in, place orders, and track deliveries. If your customers speak different languages, consider translating the guides. The easier it feels, the faster they’ll get on board.

3. Set Up Their Usual Orders

One big hurdle? Too many products. Imagine a restaurant manager who usually orders 10 items, suddenly staring at a list of hundreds or thousands of products. Even if they can favorite items, that’s still overwhelming.

Make it easy for them by preselecting their regular products. When they log in, they’ll see the familiar items they usually order right away. This will make them feel more comfortable, and if they want to explore other products, they can do that too. But first, let’s start with what they know.

4. Show Them How Much Time They’ll Save

The real magic of digital ordering? Time saved. No more back-and-forth emails. Everything’s faster, from managing inventory to tracking orders in real time. Make sure your customers know how much smoother and quicker their day will run by using the platform.

5. Show Off the Power of Data

One huge advantage of digital platforms is all the data it gives. Let your customers know they’ll get insights they never had with email—like their ordering patterns, trends, and even recommendations based on past orders. This data helps them plan better, order smarter, and manage stock more easily. And who wouldn’t want a system that helps them stay ahead of the game?

6. Personalize Their Experience

Digital platforms aren’t one-size-fits-all. That’s the beauty of it. You can customize the experience to fit each customer’s unique needs. Offer personalized offers, campaigns, dashboards, flexible order options, or custom reports. When your customers feel like the system is tailored just for them, they’ll be more likely to embrace it and keep coming back.

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