Convenience stores thrive when they make it as easy as possible for customers to get what they came for. In 2022, foodservice made up 25.7% of in-store sales, according to an industry report. In order to keep that momentum going, it only makes sense to have ordering and buying food be as convenient as possible. Introducing the ability to order ahead—whether or not the store has a drive thru lane—has opened up a wealth of opportunities for convenience stores.
When done well, implementing an order ahead system can bring a lot of benefits to convenience stores, such as happier customers and increased business. However, if your employees aren’t prepared for such a system, the consequences will far outweigh the benefits.
Your Employees’ Role in Improving Convenience
Your employees are on the frontline, ensuring these new opportunities work. Therefore, they need to be kept up to date on your policies and how to handle various situations related to customers ordering ahead.
Where to put the food while waiting and checking for online orders from your app or website are some easy topics for employee training, but there are also less obvious things to consider. Will your customer service policies and routines need to be updated now that you’ll have more takeout-only guests? How should your employees balance the needs of customers who order in the store against those who ordered ahead?
Employees struggling to fulfill orders correctly or on time could be worse than not offering an order ahead system in the first place. Making customers wait while your employees correct their orders would ruin your customers’ expectation of convenience.
Leverage Training for Order Ahead Success
In order to avoid customer service issues, training your employees on the correct policies and procedures for your convenience store is incredibly important. It will not only increase their confidence, but also their productivity. Whether it’s serving customers in a certain order or splitting the work a certain way, leverage your training program to teach your processes and ensure employees learn what they need to know.
A learning management system will help you deliver your training consistently, ensuring everyone is on the same page. In cases like this, where employee’s roles involve policies regarding the handling of online orders, a blended learning strategy will reinforce the message for all employees. Role-playing can also help your messages stick by reinforcing positive and effective communication with customers.
Blended Learning with trainingGrid®
trainingGrid® is an LMS developed with you and your employees in mind. Its intuitive design makes learning management simple and allows employees to begin training with just a click. This flexible system comes with a variety of robust features customizable to fit your needs in addition to built-in reporting and certification tools that track your compliance documentation.
Request a guided demonstration of trainingGrid® today!
