The Iconic Restaurant Coaster Pager Evolves Into the Restaurant Cell Phone Pager
Written by Brandon Munson
Restaurant coaster pagers have changed the way restaurants manage their waiting lists. Now restaurant cell phone pagers are the technological evolution in coaster pagers. Before restaurant coaster pagers host staff called out guest names over a PA system or hollered out their names across the bar or lobby. This method was, and still is, inefficient and frowned upon by guests. The development of blink, beep and vibrating guest pagers when a table is ready changed the business, now the cell phone did it again. Restaurants no longer need costly coaster pagers to notify guests when their table is ready. Guests find greater satisfaction using their own personal restaurant cell pager or restaurant text pager, it affords them greater freedom and enjoyment while they wait i.e. apps, games, texting and calls.
Building upon the restaurant guest pager concepts restaurant cell phone pagers are becoming popular with guests and with restaurant owners alike. And for good reason, restaurant cell paging systems offer the following top 10 benefits:
1. Like coaster pagers, restaurant cell phone pager systems help restaurants reduce waiting time and turn more tables.
2. Unlike restaurant coaster pagers, there is no pager replacement cost, your guests own them i.e. their cell phone
3. Up front costs are roughly 90% cheaper than a quality restaurant coaster pager system.
4. Total annualized savings over a restaurant coaster pager system is estimated at $3,462, year one.
5. Best of breed cell phone pager systems do not require any software or specialized equipment.
6. Restaurant text / phone pager systems typically come bundled with an automated wait list or reservation management system
7. Restaurant cell phone pagers improve customer service and satisfaction by enabled the guests to freely move about at a much greater range
8. Restaurant cell phone pagers do not spread disease or bacteria as do guest pagers (due to so many people handling the pagers).
9. Advanced systems offer powerful mobile marketing loyalty capabilities, great for driving business.
10. There are over 272 million cell phone subscribers in the USA, no need to replace a coaster pager ever again.
The only requirement is access to the internet via a web enabled POS, mini laptop, iPad or iTouch to connect to the web hosted application. Unlike a guest pager transmitter any of the web enabling devices (i.e. laptop, POS) offer greater utility when you aren't managing your wait list. For example, the mini netbook can be used to take inventory, enter the food order or update the menu. Better yet send out a mobile marketing campaign to drive traffic. I bet your restaurant guest pager system can't do all that.
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