Offloading takeout calls from locations assists operators that are continually challenged with national and regional labor increases.
Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. (RRT), a leading provider of order management, virtual call center and technology solutions for restaurants helping them to manage and optimize their off-premise takeout and catering business, has announced that its takeout solutions – in particular its virtual call center services, has helped relieve the labor pressures that continue to challenge operators throughout the restaurant industry.
In a recent article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, there is clear evidence that as minimum wages are increasing, new jobs within the industry have slowed based on measurements monitored from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year-over-year comparison of restaurants jobs in the State of California have steadily slowed each year from an annual 6.6% increase in 2014, to 2.9% currently in 2017.
RRT’s virtual call center offloads a significant number of calls each month for each of its clients. With an average call time anywhere between 3-5 minutes, RRT clients are saving numerous hours of labor each month keeping the need for additional staff minimal by also reallocating this time back to their in-store guests for an augmented guest experience. With some clients, they have been able to reduce staffing by anywhere from 1-3 full time employees per location. Combine this reduction in labor hours with the outsourced ability to now handle all of the incoming calls; especially during peak hours where calls are regularly missed altogether or not handled well, the result is an improvement in overall takeout revenues, and an improved guest experience – all leading to a very positive ROI for its clients.
During the month of March, RRT handled hundreds of thousands of calls for its client base – this number continues to grow exponentially each month with more and more clients seeing the value of having RRT handle their off-premise transactions while then allowing their staff to stay focused on their dine-in customers. With the average handle time of calls being in the 3-5 minute range, this led to a significant number of labor hours either saved or reallocated back to the client’s internal operations. With documented case studies which clearly validate the positive ROI RRT is providing, combined with consistent, positive feedback from their guests, and the desire to have their staff’s focus more intently on their dine-in business, more and more clients are reaching out to RRT to handle their off-premise operations. RRT is forecasting that its overall call volume will more than triple by the end of 2017.
While most CFO’s will label this as a “soft cost”, it’s valuable and helpful to restaurants in keeping operations succinct and streamlined while minimum wage increases continue to climb in regions across the country. In California, the minimum wage has increased from $8 per hour in 2014 to $10.50 per hour in 2017 and is scheduled to increase annually up to $15 per hour by 2022.
Additionally, in a survey of over 300 restaurants conducted by Nation’s Restaurant News, 24% of respondents indicated that the rising costs of labor via minimum wage hikes continue to be the number one concern for 2017.
“The current minimum wage and labor law debates and increases continue to be at the forefront of concerns for operators. Many of our clients have experienced direct and indirect relief to their labor pressures through our virtual call center services by offloading phone calls from their store locations, keeping staff focused on their dine-in business,” said Davie Schofield, CEO of RRT. “Coupled with the dynamic changes surrounding takeout the past few years, restaurants are turning to us for just this type of support to not only generate new revenue streams , but also to reduce labor pressures that lead to more efficient internal operations and a better overall guest experience.”
Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. (RRT) provides popular restaurant chains nationwide easy-to-implement phone, online and mobile takeout, order management, customer loyalty and catering solutions that enable restaurant operators to offer their takeout customers a consistently professional and delightful ordering experience where the customer rarely waits on hold, speaks to a friendly and knowledgeable menu-certified virtual waiter, and can be confident that the order is accurate. It’s what we refer to as going Beyond Takeout®. The turnkey, patented takeout order management software system provides a positive ROI by reducing operational costs, while increasing the number of orders and improving profits by leveraging the feature rich call center, online and mobile ordering platforms all integrated with top POS systems that service a majority of restaurant’s nationally. Visit us online at: www.rrtusa.com
