Choosing the best online ordering system will be easier if you have a checklist to go by, so you can use this to help you!
What may be the best for you, may not be not be the best for someone else. And what may be the best for someone else, may not be the best for you.
From a computer programming point of you, the best is one that is totally customized to your needs and no one elses…period. But this can be very expensive, so it is not really an option for most restaurateurs.
-Ask if they have any experience with this type of system being installed on different food service businesses. If it is based on past experience then chances are you benefiting from their real world experience and you benefit from their system design based on their past experience.
-Simple to navigate, not cluttered and easy to order quickly with out too much trying to figure out how to order online.
-Professional looking and not cheesy looking.
-The option to integrate with your website if you already have one, or one that allows you to customize it for your own look and appeal.
-Easy for you to change, add, delete your online menu at will that is not dependent on someone else that will charge you each time they make a change for you.
-A online ordering system that can be search engine optimized otherwise it is not worth it. This is a critical component in allowing you to get free organic traffic from the search engines.
-24 hour support imperative
-Whom ever sells you the system find out if he or she knows anything about search engine optimization, or how to get traffic to your site this is worth in the $1000’s of dollars and if he or she can consult you in this area, you are at an advantage if you purchase from him or her that can assist you with quickly understanding insider secrets that are very costly to get. This individual is very valuable. He or she can help you make more money and save money by consulting you for free.
-Secure payment gateways with options to protect your customers credit card information, when they order online from your website.
-Ask if your Customers credit information is not stored anywhere, it is deleted so not to compromise any of your customers credit card personal information.
-Quick and simple tracking ordering system to allow you to track your orders.
-Will your system information be backed up, if so how often.
-One that search engine optimization has been applied from the beginning if not later on is ok, but better sooner then later.
-A back office support system that allows you to maximize your online ordering system, allows to track all of your sales history so you can analyze what is selling online and isn’t.
-One that the system can grow with your growth, and handle the bandwidth being used up if you start getting a lot of traffic.
-Real-time database generation, that will allow you to tap into consumer behavior and ordering patterns, which may give you some ideas on how to market better to them.
-Friendly but comprehensive sales reports are critical to have, does it offer this.
