Order Accuracy: 8 Ways to Improve Restaurant Order Accuracy
Your restaurant’s order accuracy cuts deep. Imagine the customer experience of someone who eagerly orders your trending chicken sandwich with spicy aioli. They get a child’s cheeseburger instead. These “slight” errors have a serious impact on business.
Inconvenienced customers see longer waits, more complications, and less reason to reorder. Sales drop. Errors also waste resources and increase restaurant food costs as incorrect orders get discarded and slow the entire kitchen down. Helping frustrated customers to free meals and discounts further nips at profits.
As a restaurant KPI (Key Performance Indicator) for effective marketing and operational efficiency—you should prioritize order accuracy rates. It will ensure you foster satisfaction and increase restaurant revenue. See how improving order accuracy with the right software cuts restaurant expenses, errors, and human inefficiency.
Discover Revolution Ordering’s eight steps to improve order accuracy in your restaurant. Schedule a demo to learn more.
Key Takeaway: Hitting higher accuracy goals helps more of your customers enjoy satisfaction and build loyalty.
What is Order Accuracy in Restaurants?
Restaurant order accuracy is the number of times customers receive complete and correct orders—out of 100. Your accuracy percentage reveals how well you satisfy expectations and requests. You can calculate your accuracy rate with a simple formula:
Order Accuracy = (Accurate Orders) / (Orders Fulfilled) x 100
To stay competitive and accurate, successful restaurant owners often use online ordering solutions. With restaurant POS integration, these systems compare correct orders to total orders placed, showing managers new roads to improve order accuracy.
To push this metric for better performance, try these strategies for restaurants to build a more trusting, loyal customer base.
8 Ways for Restaurants to Improve Order Accuracy
As you set goals, choose software, empower staff, and transform your business—Revolution Ordering will help set your restaurant apart. Any restaurant can boost order accuracy and customer satisfaction with these eight strategies.
Take your restaurant technology to the next level, and test new heights for your business by trying these accuracy-adding strategies from the best food delivery management systems.
1. Set Ordering Goals
Many online ordering failures begin with a lack of clarity, direction, or focus. To establish accuracy goals, define a specific percentage and communicate your goal to the entire staff.
The common goal can motivate and improve performance. Afterward, use your integrated online ordering solutions to monitor and track progress with custom reports. You’ll see this helps you measure and stand out against competitors.
2. Choose Integrated Software
Ineffective order management issues from stand-alone, manual, or outdated systems. First, research a feature-rich online ordering platform for restaurants. Double-check its compatibility with your POS platform, restaurant CRM, food costing software, etc.
By choosing an intelligent, connected system, restaurants streamline ordering while minimizing human error and delivery delays. They also stand to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
3. Empower Your Staff
Lacking training, direction, or leadership, employees can show their low confidence through poor order accuracy. Provide quick and easy training on order handling while encouraging your staff to offer feedback and communicate openly.
Choosing a simple software solution to improve restaurant operations will help this. More competent employees who feel confident with seamless software and supportive leadership will prepare better orders. Alongside accuracy, effective training and communication promote positive experiences for customers.
4. Schedule Smarter Shifts
Low staffing during unexpected booms and peak hours leads to error and delay. To improve order accuracy through better scheduling, analyze peak hours and order volumes. Then, shift schedules to cover the busiest periods and avoid overwhelm.
Your online ordering software can help monitor real-time order trends to continuously help you anticipate scheduling. Optimized shifts will boost accuracy, cut wait times, and enhance customer experience.
5. Make Tracking Accountable
Without clear order fulfillment responsibilities—restaurants face a lack of accountability for low order accuracy. Add a system for order tracking (and order incidents) to assign orders to individual staff members.
Increasing responsibility, itself, often reduces order discrepancies. It also creates a culture of ownership where staff feels committed to outcomes and experiences. This translates to fewer incidents and more accuracy in the kitchen.
6. Anticipate Inventory Needs
Most establishments can’t fulfill orders without the proper restaurant inventory management software. You can also use your online ordering system to analyze order trends and customer demand patterns. You can then choose to follow or automate restocking strategies to protect inventory levels.
Restaurants improve order accuracy by ensuring their teams have consistent access to the menu items and key ingredients. Most online ordering platforms for restaurants will help minimize the risk of “stockouts” through food costing software and inventory control.
7. Incentivize Employee Performance
Driven employees bring precision. Restaurant owners can boost employee morale and accuracy with a little encouragement. Staff members often need motivation and engagement to perform better. If you implement an incentive for employees, make it performance-based.
Provide recognition and rewards to employees who emphasize and elevate order accuracy in their work. This could be similar to your customer reward programs with a special emphasis on correct prep and fast deliveries. Show them how efforts are appreciated by leadership, coworkers, and customers alike.
8. Know Your Data
Many restaurants undervalue order accuracy and neglect to measure customer experience. For some, this comes from the complex task: you must analyze every order, instance of customer feedback, and statistical trend. Others simplify the process with built-in order tracking and app integrations from Revolution Ordering.
With the right data, any restaurant owner can see areas for improvement (and opportunity) in through an accuracy rate. Knowing your customer trends and order histories also gives a much better idea of hidden inefficiency and error causes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Order Accuracy
Explore common questions in the industry to understand order accuracy and its effect on business success. Additional answers may help you drive up business with more correct meals and better customer experiences.
What is the average order accuracy?
Average order accuracy is the percentage of correct orders compared to total orders. While the calculation remains simple for restaurants, few volunteer to share the competitive restaurant KPI.
In the restaurant industry, many aim for accuracy over 98%—but rarely achieve it. The latest studies of enterprise restaurants and fast food chains show a range from 85.30% to 95.20%.
How do you increase order accuracy?
Streamlined processes and supportive software keep order accuracy high. To keep your staff attentive to detail and motivated, online ordering integration can support higher accuracy levels through restaurant automations and order tracking.
Confusion from siloed ordering software, too many tablets, or difficult processes will equally ruin the accuracy metric. Low accuracy will then eat into growth.
How can restaurants ensure order accuracy?
Restaurants ensure order accuracy with clear communication, order tracking, and consistent technology. Restaurant technology helps ensure staff has accurate information on orders, relaying them to kitchens, management, and drivers.
The combination of real-time updates and reduced human error on orders makes a consistent pairing that customers appreciate.
Boost Order Accuracy with Revolution
Inaccurate orders cost you customers, blocking growth with added operating expenses. By harnessing POS-integrated software, you can improve accuracy and your competitive edge.
For more accuracy, clients choose Revolution Ordering for an efficient, seamless experience that leads to consistent orders, reviews, and growth. Our enterprise-trusted solution provides a seamless, efficient path to increase restaurant sales.
Command a reputation of precision and reliable customer satisfaction by getting your online ordering right. Demo Revolution Ordering to see transformed business and optimized operations.