Boomerang™, the exclusive provider of intelligent SMS, announces that in partnership with Harvey Nichols restaurants, it has launched an innovative new SMS reservation service.
Following initial trial success at Harvey Nichols' flagship restaurant, the OXO Tower, the Quadranet reservation system enables customers across the UK to efficiently reserve and confirm tables by text message for the first time.
QuadraNet Systems delivers Reservation and EPOS solutions trusted by some of the world's most successful restaurateurs, restaurant groups and hotels. QuadraNet solutions have been developed with input from hundreds of leading restaurateurs of all styles and size of operation.
The intelligent new system will make the reservation process much simpler and quicker for potential customers by allowing them to confirm or alter their booking by text message with no personal cost. On receipt of the restaurant's text, the customer merely has to reply 'confirm'. The status of the booking is then automatically changed within the booking system. If the customer wishes to alter their booking or add a message they can send a reply which will automatically appear on their booking.
Mike Edworthy, Service and Sales Director, QuadraNet Systems, comments, "No shows costs the OXO a huge amount in lost revenue every year. For that reason, an extensive amount of time and resource is invested in confirming bookings prior to a diner's visit. Admittedly confirming bookings over the phone is not as effective as the OXO staff member's are often confronted by dinner's voicemail majority of the time. Boomerang's two-way intelligent SMS technology solves this problem by automating this daily procedure, saving both time and money."
The OXO Tower alone takes over 2,000 bookings a month and requires a team of staff to spend valuable time monitoring the reservation process. The new service eliminates the associated expense and improves operational efficiency by allowing staff to focus on improving the customer experience inside the restaurant.
Edworthy continues, "The Boomerang intelligent SMS communication
solution allows restaurateurs to quickly communicate with its
customers without human intervention; bookings are confirmed in an
instant enabling owners and managers to see real-time reservation
updates.
Edworthy adds, "Furthermore, we have seen a phenomenal 82% average
response rate - a statistic that further clarifies the convenience
of a text message by the desired user base. Hospitality
organisations can not only save money, but ensure tables are filled
and improve customer satisfaction through the use of intelligent
SMS."
Martin Perminas, CEO of Boomerang said: "The Boomerang service enables restaurants to streamline the reservation process, eliminating the need for customers to call and reserve tables. The application of this intelligent SMS technology releases the untapped potential of existing IT systems and is already being used in a variety of different industries."