During the pandemic, the option of providing a delivery service has likely been a godsend for most hospitality businesses. Being able to continue serving customers when restaurants are closed is crucial, so your delivery system has to be in tip-top shape if you want to keep your regulars coming back for more. One simple way to optimise your deliveries is by encouraging customers to place their orders through an app.

Food delivery apps have surged in popularity in recent years, and usage has understandably skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic—as of 2020, they are being used by over 24.8 million hungry people in the UK. Whilst big names like Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats dominate the world of food delivery, that’s not to say that smaller businesses can’t get in on the action with their own apps too. MyEPOS Order makes it easy to set up an app that will help your business run its delivery service smoothly, and can be linked up to your till system for ultra-efficiency.

Ordering via an app provides obvious benefits for the customer: they can place orders quickly and easily, in-app payment is completely contactless but still traceable, and they can visually keep track of a large order so they’re not frantically asking the person on the phone whether they’ve definitely written down THREE cheesy naan breads.

But it’s not just the customer who benefits from using an app to order a delivery. Successful app usage can make the delivery process for a hospitality business more efficient—and consequently, more profitable. Taking orders through an app will save time for staff who are constantly answering the phone, and having an electronic receipt for an order makes it far simpler to keep track of, so you can get it sent out to the customer ASAP.

The majority of smartphone-loving customers will be eager to use an app, but those who aren’t quite so tech-inclined could be enticed by special offers and discounts that are exclusive to app users, so be sure to promote these far and wide. As long as your app is user-friendly for both your customers as well as your staff, it is a great way to make the most of your delivery service—so tuck in!