How to get more bookings on your website with a restaurant chatbot
As a restaurant owner, you probably know exactly how many people visit your website and then go on to make reservations. But do you have any idea how many potential guests visit your website and then don’t go on to make a reservation?
There are many reasons why a potential guest might bounce off your website without making a reservation. Maybe they couldn’t easily find the information they were looking for. Maybe they were looking for images of your menu but didn’t see any. Or maybe they just weren’t engaged and your website did nothing to keep them interested.
Regardless of the reason, there’s a pretty strong chance that you’re missing out on lots of potential customers who are visiting your website and then leaving without making reservations.
So how do you fix this?
As people spend more and more time inside of messaging apps, businesses are turning to tools that let them have real time conversations with potential customers on their websites. But as a restaurant owner, you probably can’t afford to have someone staffing a live chat dashboard 24/7 answering customer questions in real time.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that people expect to be able to message your business as soon as they land on your website. And if you don’t offer an engaging tool that immediately captures their attention when they land on your website, there’s a pretty strong chance they won’t stick around long enough to make a reservation.
We built Guestfriend to provide restaurants with the same engaging live chat experience that larger companies use, except that our “virtual hosts” chat with your visitors on their own, without you or your staff having to lift a finger.
So how exactly can you use an onsite chatbot to drive more bookings for your restaurant?
Once you’ve chosen a live chat tool (we suggest Intercom if you have the resources to have someone chatting with guests in real time) or chatbot solution you want to use, keep reading to see our recommendations for the best ways to drive revenue with engaging messages to visitors.
The first step is to engage visitors right after they visit your site. By default, our virtual hosts prompt visitors with a friendly prompt after they’ve been on your site for a few seconds. We’ve seen engagement rates higher than 10% for these messages, so be sure to set one up asap.
Once a user opens a conversation with your live chat tool or chatbot, congratulations — you now have an engaged potential customer. Now’s the perfect time to keep them engaged and prompt them with a specific call to action.
Depending on what is most valuable to your restaurant, you can customize the first message they see with a call to action urging them to ask questions about those specific revenue drivers. After all, anyone proactively messaging you is already engaged so you should take advantage of their attention to promote things that will impact your business.
Here are a few ideas for good welcome messages to prompt a specific action by the visitor:
- Happy hour: Stop by between 5–7 for happy hour! We’ve got amazing specials on cocktails, draft beer, and food. Mention this message for an extra discount.
- Promo codes: Want to stop by for dinner? Make a reservation right now and mention the code ______ when you check in for a free appetizer.
- Menu specials: Hungry? Fresh lobster on the menu this week only! Make a reservation right in this chat!
- Private events: Planning a party or private event? We’d love to help. Ask about our private dining options!
- Gift cards: Looking for the perfect gift? Ask us about our gift cards!
- Catering: Planning a wedding or the big event? We cater! Ask us about our catering to find out more.
Modern consumers want to chat with businesses, so give them a way to do so easily on your website. The longer you keep a visitor engaged and entertained, the higher the chances that they’ll get the information they’re looking for and go on to make a reservation!
Shoot us a note or comment if you have any questions about how Guestfriend can help you modernize your online presence and get more bookings.
