As technology advances, so does the way we complete everyday tasks. Nowadays most people love to opt for booking important events, appointments and dates online. Having the option to allow your customers to reserve online is a great way to boost your business. But with so many reservation platforms available, which is the best for you and your business?
OpenTable
Opentable stands as one of the most popular platforms for restaurants. This platform allows restaurants to accept reservations through the OpenTable website, or your own site using their widget. This app both confirms and notifies customers of their reservation, as well as give them the ability to edit their reservations without having to call the restaurant. The main benefit to OpenTable is that due to its highly recognizable and trustworthy reputation, customers are more likely to head their first as they know it is reliable. As far as costs, the platform charges a $199 monthly subscription with a $1 fee per customers seated through their site.
TableIn
TableIn is essentially one of the easiest online reservation platform systems to set up and run on your website. According to reviews on their website “It took less than 10 minutes to set up TableIn and it’s so easy to use and understand that I don’t need to provide staff training,” according to Blaine Farrish, Supervisor. It also has the option to also be integrated into your social media accounts and email blasts which enables you to accept more reservations across all platforms. They offer a wide range of services under online reservations, reservation management, and marketing tools. The last perk of TableIn is that it provides the option to automatically request reviews to boost your rating upon completing their reservation. This is one last task that you have to worry about in terms of marketing your business digitally. The higher your rating, the more likely customers are to reserve with you. When it comes to pricing, Tablein offers an array of package options depending on how much or how little services you want. The pricing starts at $49 and goes up to $165.
Yelp
While Yelp serves as an online review platform for customers, it also serves as a reservation system as well as a table management component. Yelp is your one-stop-shop! They allow for booking to be accepted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and only takes a few minutes to set up. It can be added right to your website or they can take the reservations from your yelp review page. The system will also confirm and remind guests of reservations so that you don’t have to. The table management component offered by Yelp allows you to keep track of the restaurants' entire floor. This includes assigning servers and guests to specific tables. It also gives walk-ins an accurate wait time for the next available table. The cost for this platform is $249 a month, and comes with a free iPad the first month but can be used on other devices as well.
Table Agent
A stand out feature of Table Agent that sets it apart from other platforms is that it is 100% free. Yes, that’s right- it costs $0! For this cost, you can get an online reservation system as well as a table and floor management plan. This allows for the status of each table can be controlled an active waitlist can be created as well as set seating time restrictions. This option may be best for those newer or low budgeted restaurants. This platform allows you and your customers to make, manage, and access reservations from any device include your cell phone. There is also no installation required!
Interested in finding out some other online options to help you get more business all while operating more easily?! Check out all our services HERE at Skigital, or ask us any questions using our live chat option on our website.