Restaurant Text Pager FAQ
Mobile Matradee is the next generation restaurant wait list / reservation solution that is here to day. It is an affordable and flexible restaurant reservation and wait list management system that costs about the same as a single pager. It’s a web hosted solution, which means no software, support fees or pager equipment. Mobile Matradee® product line includes Wait List Matradee®, Reservation Matradee® and Mobile VIP® marketing solution. www.mobilematradee.com
Question:What if a guest doesn’t have a cell phone or doesn’t have a text plan or doesn’t want a text?
Answer:88% of the population have a cell phone. Another words 9 out of 10 people have a cell.
No text plan? Mobile Matradee offer text and voice notification so customers that don’t have a text plan can opt for a voice message. I can assure you your pager system can’t do that!
Our restaurant clients have not found resistance at all from customers, matter of fact, customers think it’s kinda “neat”. When customer’s learn that pagers are likely to carry bacteria and virus they quickly prefer to use their personal handheld device. Especially now with H1N1!
If they don’t have a cell phone you simply input their name, a brief description and tell them you will flag them down when thier table is ready (what you are probably doing now)
Question: Won’t my customers roam away and delay seating or worse roam off to somewhere else?
Answer: Our experience to date is that customers don’t go away even through they now have the freedom, they are hungry and choose your establishment for a reason. Psychologically they still feel being in the line of sight of the host stand offers some advantage to getting seated quicker. On busy nights with extended waits you can send a text promo to drive waiting customers to the bar for a drink or appetizer special to clear the entrance of a fire hazard while driving bar business, i.e. “Thank you for waiting, your table will be ready soon. Visit our bar we are offering a $2.00 Bar Bites and $2.00 drafts, show bartender this text message to redeem special”. Customers find this fun.
Our “Call a Ahead” feature works well to prompt customers who aren’t on premise to hurry up when they receive a message “your table is almost ready see host”. Our web hosted wait management system actually records quote time and tracks wait time along with an “Arrive” button to track when “call a head” customers arrive. Same is true for our reservation program.
Question:Isn’t it more work for the host/hostess?
Answer: No, on the contrary, our clients state its very user friendly and more efficient. Only the name, a brief memo (optional) and the cell number is typed into the system. The party size, quote time and seat number are drop down menus you either click or tap. When you notify a guest you simply click or tap the “Text” or “Voice” button. It’s that simple. When the system is used from an iTouch it’s even quicker, you just use your thumbs to type and tap. It’s a single screen system, no pop ups, pages or transitions.
Question:How does the mobile marketing work and opt ins?
Answer: Mobile VIP is our propriety mobile marketing system that is an add on to Mobile Matradee. Mobile VIP is integrated with your customer database so on a slow night or you simply want to increase revenue you click the “Send” button, enter your promotion in the text field and click or tap “send”. All your customers will get an instant text message promotion. Unlike email blasts they get it within seconds of when you sent it enable you to drive business within the same hour of sending our promotion. Text messages have a 95% read rate. Mobile promotions get a 10% to 20% response rate depending on the value of the promo. No pager or reservation system can drive business like Mobile Matradee.
Customers opt in when they provide you with their cell number. They opt out by replying to any text message with the word “Stop” and our system removes them from Mobile VIP instantly.
You can even send a mobile menu to your clients while they wait they can think about what they want to eat or instead of faxing out lunch menus. If the wait is exceeding long you can send a custom message offering a special at the bar or a text voucher for their next visit. Another important feature we offer is the ability to send mobile surveys and polls to your guest subscribers.
Question: What equipment and software do I need?
No costly software to maintain or capital equipment required. No need for pager transmitters and pagers. You just need access to the web, either via a PC, laptop or your POS system, even a web enabled cell phone (great back up if your power or internet goes down).
We recommend an Apple iTouch. Most hostess/host are well versed in texting so we have modified Mobile Matradee to interface with an iTouch. An iTouch is affordable, fast and durable. This eliminates the costs associated with retrofitting the host stand to accomdate a PC or even a laptop, no need to run CAD 5 cable or power to run it, an iTouch has a 6 to 36 hour battery life and is WiFi enabled. We recommend tethering the iTouch to the hostess while in use. This will prevent theft or loss. Real busy restaurants that require two hostess can use two iTouchs to seat guests more efficiently.
Question: What’s it cost?
Compare the capital equipment cost of a pager system at $1,000 to $4,000 vs and iTouch $189 retail and a low monthly subscription fee that includes support.
Mobile Matradee is a subscription service that cost $95 per month to $119 per month, depending on what you want for options, standard features include web hosted data base, text and voice notification, host reservation system / wait list system and Mobile VIP, mobile marketing system. One or two mobile promotions per month will likely cover the cost of the subscriptions.
Is there special pricing for chains?
Yes there is. We have special pricing tiers for large chains.
To learn more go to www.mobilematradee.com or call Brandon at (888) 669-9729
Court House First Floor Map
Map of first floor.