'New customer journey consists of 3 steps'

As a result of the corona pandemic, the customer journey in the hospitality industry has completely changed. "When you can open your business again, the focus should be on convenience," says Jaime van 't Hoenderdaal of Lightspeed at the Horecava, which will be held online this year. "That is broad: from reservations and pre-ordering to payments and findability."

Before we had to deal with the corona crisis, the most important aspects in the customer journey were mainly spontaneity, reception, dinner and checkout. "Dinner was unplanned, the reception was personal, your menu was brought personally and payment took place at the cash register," explains Jaime van 't Hoenderdaal. "If we are allowed to open our business again, those rules will no longer apply. After all, we have to take into account external matters, such as measures from the cabinet."

Three new steps
What should you as an entrepreneur take into account? It is clear, says Van 't Hoenderdaal, that the future customer journey has three phases. Starting with the online business card. "We have to take external factors into account, such as a maximum group size, for the first few months. This means that many guests want to reserve their place. So having a reservation tool is a must." This step is especially important for starting entrepreneurs. "The hotspots will be full in no time, so people will look for an alternative. After all, everyone wants to eat out again, so make sure you are visible," he says.

Everything in the business must be top-notch. Think of the 'floor plan' and possibly a QR menu. But collection and delivery also remain a must, according to Van 't Hoenderdaal. "Think of connecting with various delivery services (Deliveroo, Thuisbezorgd or Order Ahead). This not only allows you to reach a new target group, it is also good for step one: online findability. This should also be a special experience for the guest. For example, write a handwritten note with the order."

Finally, according to Van 't Hoenderdaal, it has become much more important to think about the process afterwards. "The key points are that it should be possible to pay contactless, that you use the acquired data and that you try to make every guest a regular guest. Take, for example, someone who only orders online from you. Invite that person, via e-mail , visit your business and, for example, give a coffee on the house on presentation of the e-mail. Generating loyalty will be really important from now on." 

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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