Personalisation has been a watchword of marketing and advertising executives for many years.
Luxury fashion brands, social media giants and industries as diverse as publishing and car manufacturers all compete to create the ultimate individualised products and services.
The restaurant industry is no different.
Dining-out is no longer a “one-size-fits-all” experience, but dishes and encounters are carefully tailored to customer’s needs and expectations.
If you think food delivery is an exception to this trend, well think again…
What are the benefits of personal customer service?
Delivering personalised customer service makes an enormous difference to your virtual food brand. Not only will it improve customer satisfaction, but it generates positive reviews and increased orders.
Delivering memorable personal service will also mean your food brand sticks in customers minds, encouraging repeat custom. It makes people feel they’re doing business with a real person, rather than a faceless company.
Put simply, personalisation is powerful. So how can you put this into practice?
3 ways to personalise your food delivery service
1. Name and fame?
It’s a basic, but important premise.
Use your customers’ names whenever possible, perhaps handwriting their name on the order bag or delivery box.
Numerous psychological studies have shown that our name is our favourite word to hear. This allows you to create a positive reaction from the very first interaction.
The same goes for your own name too! Don’t be scared to add little details such as Prepared by Andrew or Packed by Camilla or Delivered by Harry. If staff aren’t comfortable using their real name, even a “nom de plume” would suffice.
Personalisation works both ways, reminding customers your business is operated and staffed by real individuals.
2. Face-up to the challenge
What’s the main way we create a personal connection in real life?
It’s through our facial expressions… So help your customers put a face to a name and include photos of your staff across marketing materials. This will help humanise your business.
Virtual food brands don’t have waiting staff or physical premises to interact with customers. Remember your delivery drivers may be the only “human contact” your customers encounter. It’s therefore vital to keep your drivers feeling like appreciated members of the team.
We’ve already written a guide to keeping your delivery drivers happy, so take a look at this.
3. Understand your customers
How can your ghost kitchen brand personalise its customer service if you don’t know your customers?
Invest in great restaurant tech, which will help you collect and store data in a GDPR compliant way. Think about ways you can track orders, likes and dislikes (are there any special requests, such as extra sauce that keep recurring?), birthdays and special occasions. Then consider the little touches that might make loyal customers feel special and valued.
For more advice and inspiration, explore the Peckwater Brands blog. From increasing your visibility on food delivery platforms to the latest TikTok trends and food influencers – there’s everything you need to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Topics from this blog: Delivery Hospitality Marketing
