Archive for the ‘Catering & Event Management’ Category
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Your Catering Sales Manager takes a new job and leaves the company with little notice. As her assistant, your feelings toward her departure are bittersweet. She’s happy about her new position, so you are happy for her, but you will miss her. Above all else, you realize that until a replacement is hired, you are left to do her work as well as your own. After a brief meeting prior to her exit and a lone assessment of the entire situation, which scenario most likely represents your situation?
- Her desk is loaded with file folders, stacks of paper and an avalanche of yellow and pink sticky notes. You know she manages a few things in a computerized spreadsheet, but you can’t seem to find it on her desktop. Her Rolodex, now ages old, is no longer in alphabetical order. This month’s events, a few names and the occasional phone number are scratched onto a dry erase calendar board next to her desk. You know what you need to do on your end because you’ve kept your own stack of file folders and a legal pad with a long to-do list, but now you need to consolidate her information with yours to make sure all the upcoming events are covered and nothing slips through the cracks. You’re overwhelmed and nervous – how will you organize everything and still keep things moving forward?
Or…
- You sit down at her computer and click on the ReServe Anywhere icon. After you log in - Ta-Da! Everything you need to know about this month’s events (as well as any events in the future) is right at your finger tips. You dive in and review the centralized event calendar complete with times and dates, all of your set up, service and labor requirements, menu and pricing information, and a detailed customer database complete with comprehensive contact information for all of your guests. You check the task list, review any follow up reminders and get started. Everything is in order. Every detail has been captured. Nothing is missed. ReServe prompts your next steps so you easily and efficiently keep things moving forward. Everything goes off without a hitch. Job well done!
Our hope is that the first scenario is more of an exaggeration rather than actual truth. However, we know that many catering professionals are dealing with the frustration of paper-based event management. The second scenario represents where we would like everyone to be – calm, cool and in control.
So, what’s your situation? Are you surviving or thriving?
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
There are a lot of event management and dining reservation products on the market today, all claiming to do pretty much the same thing. You’ll see words like ‘efficiency’, ‘productivity’, and ‘money saving’ thrown around like birdseed in Central Park. But how many of those companies can back up those words with real action?
At ReServe, we know that there is no other product on the market that does exactly what our product does. Our technology platform is proprietary and entirely unique with intuitive features like our Event Lifecycle Technology and Smart Reservation Technology. We offer both dynamic catering & event management and dining reservation & table management software modules that were designed to easily integrate with one another to provide a comprehensive tool for users to manage all functions with one product. Not to mention more than 20 add-ons or interfaces that range from room diagramming to no-fee online dining reservation capability.
Most of all, our people help us stand out above the crowd of software providers. We still believe in a good old fashioned handshake, a voice on the other end of the line and customer service that goes above and beyond at a time when it seems to have fallen by the wayside.
We know who we are, what we do and why we do it best. Do you know your unique selling proposition? What makes you rise above the rest?
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Category Catering & Event Management, Dining Reservations & Table Management, General, Industry Issues, customer service | Tags: Tags: catering, Catering & Event Management, Dining Reservation, efficiency, Event Lifecycle Technology, event management, interface, productivity, ReServe, room diagramming, Smart Reservation Technology, software, technology,
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
What we’ve found over the last 15 years is that our customers thrive on, and are often overwhelmed by, the details. It’s all of the little things that are tied to catered events or dining experiences that can make our users’ jobs chaotic. From last minute reservation cancellations to unexpected walk-ins, Mr. Smith’s wine preference for his anniversary dinner to a frantic bride’s third menu change in two weeks – all of these things are important, and when missed or misplaced, can throw everything out of sync.
It’s managing the details, no matter how small, that make our customers successful. By simply paying attention to the minutia, they raise the bar of guest service, manage their operations more successfully and consistently generate revenue.
When new customers call, it’s usually because they are drowning in Post-it Notes and file folders, lost in a sea of scratched up and wrinkled reservation book pages, or simply tired of bouncing between three or four computer programs to get one report printed. They’ve thrown up their hands in defeat and are demanding a better way to do business.
And we know that, as a true solutions provider, we can’t make sweeping generalizations about that individual’s business. We can’t assume they follow the same processes as other restaurants or venues, subscribe to similar business models as industry peers, or service the same types of guests as a local counterpart. We must treat them as individuals and pay attention to the details they share – the very same, very specific details they pay attention to every single day.
But that’s just the beginning. Once we talk with them and learn more about their needs, it’s time to share how our software can help them more successfully manage those details…
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
It seems like the word ‘intuitive’ is getting thrown around more and more often. I’ve seen it used relative to medical devices, racing equipment and appliances. And while most of these products are truly intuitive or have intuitive features, there are some companies that make the claim, but fall very short.
Take, for example, some of the other catering and event management software products on the market today. They offer a lot of fancy features, have interfaces that look like other well-known software products, and claim to be easy to use. Many of our customers have tried these products and shared their experiences. Based on their input, intuition may not necessarily be the word they would use to describe the products. Functional? Yes. Easy-to-use? Sometimes. But just because a product is easy to use, doesn’t make it intuitive. What makes software intuitive? I guess that depends on your definition of intuitive.
Let me share what we think intuitive means. Intuitive, to us, means that we understand our customers’ businesses inside and out, top to bottom, and with that knowledge we’ve created a smart software system that is designed to become an integral part of a company’s day-to-day processes. It means we’ve built our software on a proprietary platform that was developed by professionals with years of experience in the design and development of effective user interfaces for high-tech products in a variety of industries. These individuals have an instinctive knowledge of user-centered design processes and, partnered with people that have extensive catering sales and hospitality experience, were able to design a product that incorporates human interface technologies with the specific, real world needs of the hospitality industry. Our software was created by people who have stood in the customer’s shoes. We know what our customers need because we know what we needed when we were standing at the hostess desk or taking calls in the sales office. Our software speaks their language, understands what they need moment by moment, and anticipates what they will need down the road.
Developed using our proprietary platform, our Event Lifecycle Technology™ (ELT) and Smart Reservation Technology™ (SRT) features can do what no other products on the market can do. The unique, process-driven architecture enables ReServe to anticipate a customer’s next steps and prompts them for the necessary information. The software knows what the customer needs every step of the way and puts the information right at the user’s fingertips where and when they need it. It remembers the details and enforces business practices automatically, so the customer doesn’t have to. That’s what makes our software so powerful – so easy to learn, so effortless to use – so intuitive.
We’d like to think that when we say intuitive, not only do we mean it, but we can prove it. Just ask any of our customers.
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
A new year is upon us. Time to put the past behind us and look toward the future and all of the opportunity 2010 will bring.
2009 held many challenges that at times seemed overwhelming. In fact, there were times when it felt the year would go on forever in a constant state of instability and frustration. But the power of new beginnings is the opportunity to take the lessons you’ve learned from the past and apply them to the future. Each new year leaves us all a little wiser and more hopeful that things will be different from the get go.
2010 is only a week old and we are already hearing from prospective and existing customers telling us that they need to make changes this year. They’ve taken a look at the way they did business in 2009 and have found that they need new ways to become more efficient and productive. They’ve realized that automation can make all the difference this year. They need to work smarter and they want the tools to do so. And we’re more than happy to help!
We’ve developed a better process for catering, event management, dining reservations and table management. Our software is built on best-practice processes so it’s easy to improve efficiencies across entire organizations from the moment of implementation. Best of all, we’ve stood in their shoes and understand the challenges they face on a daily basis.
We believe in the power of new beginnings and want to help hospitality professionals start the New Year off right. Our customers work hard and they deserve for 2010 to be the best that it can be.
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
The headlines are as diverse as snowflakes – “restaurants are struggling”, “restaurant business is on the upswing”, “private dining business at all time low”, “private dining offers new opportunities this season”. Regardless of the range of reports, one thing is true – people look forward to the fun and festivities of the holidays.
Across the country, events have been planned and private dining and banquet rooms have been booked. Are you ready? From holiday parties to corporate luncheons to celebratory dinners, holiday events present a wonderful opportunity to let your business offering shine. With a focus on guest accommodation and superior customer service, holiday-goers can easily become long-term, loyal customers.
Begin with a plan to impress. Use the tools at your disposal to ensure the seamless execution of your customers’ events. From the technology you use to manage those events to the selection of table linens your guests can choose from, go above and beyond to cross every ‘I’ and dot every ‘T’. Shower your guests with extra attention by dedicating staff who will focus on managing your holiday event schedule. Plan carefully and you won’t run the risk of over- or under-staffing your event space or dining room.
Now is a great time to flex your consulting muscles by assisting your customers in executing a memorable holiday event that won’t break the bank. Many venues are offering reservations before and after peak hours to accommodate customers working with tighter budgets. Some have broadened or revised their party menus to include a range of items at various price points. Think outside the box to generate ideas that will impress your customers without taking away from your bottom line.
If you’re booked through the season and everything is set to go, enjoy this time of celebration and may all of your wishes for a profitable holiday season come true.
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Every day I take calls from prospective customers asking me questions about our software and the other services we offer. Lately, a lot of people want to know about ReServe Anywhere® and what makes a hosted solution different from a client server application like ReServe Desktop. Basically, it comes down to this – ReServe Desktop is installed via CD-Rom directly onto your existing PCs or network. ReServe Anywhere® is web-based and remotely accessed through a password-protected Internet connection. We host it on secure, centralized servers. ReServe Anywhere users can manage their business and access real-time company information from anywhere at any time. Having a high speed internet connection is the only requirement. We take care of upgrades, support, backups and a highly redundant environment.
People also want to know what makes us different from other hospitality management software systems out there. Well, from a software standpoint, our products let users manage their operations on an enterprise level. We have customers with two units and customers with 200 units. No matter what their size, our software lets them centrally manage and report on activity across all of their locations. We’re also built on an intuitive platform, which means that the software is designed to do the thinking for our customers. It’s designed to follow the logic they would use to book an event or capture a reservation. It was developed from the users’ perspective rather than from a software company’s perspective. We also use customer input to help us enhance our products’ functionality and benefits.
From a company standpoint, I’d like to think that our customer service stands above the rest. We still believe in a handshake and a voice at the other end of the line. Our goal has always been to make our customers’ lives easier, so providing them with hands-on training and live support is just as important as the features our software offers.
When people ask us what makes us different, we like to let our customers do the talking for us.
“Our experience thus far with ReServe, as far as timely support and response, has been nothing short of exemplary, right from sales through to planning and IT. Thank you from our team for making this implementation so painless!” Christie Penner from The Charcoal Group of Restaurants.
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
The question I get asked most often from multi-unit customers is ‘How can I keep track of what’s going on across all of my sites?”
Basically, in order for these customers to successfully manage operations, they need a solid handle on activity in each of their locations. That’s where we come in. From reservations to financial reporting, we’ve helped our multi-unit customers observe, gather, analyze and report on activity across 2 or 200 locations.
For example, McCormick & Schmick’s uses ReServe Anywhere®, our web-based Catering & Event Management software, to manage private dining events across 90 locations. Brunswick Entertainment Centers manages events at 13 locations, Wolfgang Puck Catering implements across 12 sites, Gaylord Entertainment manages events at five venues, and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises uses ReServe Anywhere across 33 locations.
What do they do with our software? Quite a bit, actually. They manage multiple event books from a headquarters or corporate location; reporting is centralized, so they can report on the enterprise, region or specific location; and they improve communication between employees and across venues. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. They use our software to keep a finger on the pulse of their business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
So, when a multi-unit customer asks how they can keep track of all everything across all of their locations, the answer we give them is simple – ReServe Anywhere.
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Our goal has always been to make our customer’s lives easier. They work hard. They are the masters of multi-tasking. What would we bring to the table if our software contributed to that long list of things to do? They don’t need to spend endless hours troubleshooting software, or even minutes searching for information that should be available at the click of a button. It’s our job to help manage that list of things to so, not add to it.
We love it when our customers tell us that their jobs are easier with our software in place; when they say that it’s so simple that anyone on their staff can use it. We love hearing about tremendous increases in productivity, jumps in revenue because of the new efficiencies they’ve been able to achieve. It’s affirmation that we’ve achieved our goal of making our customer’s lives easier.
Our Catering & Event Management software has a special feature called Event Lifecycle Technology™. It does some pretty amazing things. Besides automating processes and managing events from first customer contact through event execution and follow up, it helps build consistent business practices and ensure accuracy by breaking down operations into digestible steps. It’s virtually eliminates human error and gaps in processes.
This feature was inspired by our desire to truly meet the needs of our customers. We don’t ever want to assume they need a specific feature. We want to know for sure that everything we create will make their lives easier. Event Lifecycle Technology takes what they do every minute of every day and automates it, making their processes smoother, quicker and more consistent. The result is an easier, more efficient work day and a shorter ‘to-do’ list.
Rita Norman, the Director of Sales at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Odessa, said, “I absolutely love ReServe. It’s like my right hand. I can’t imagine doing business without it.”
We’d like to think that she pretty much says it all.
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
We have a long list of restaurant customers who offer private dining space to their patrons. These restaurants have found a way to take full advantage of the unique opportunity private dining brings to expand their customer base and boost their bottom line.
How do they do it? In addition to automating their processes and centralizing their customer and booking information with our software, they’ve mastered the art of exceptional customer service. While our products do things like help them manage their group reservations and repeat customers; control their seating inventory; or coordinate and manage labor resources, these restaurants have carefully selected customer-oriented employees that know exactly how to create unique dining experiences that include the perfect combination of service and personal attention.
While we provide an efficient way for them to manage operations, gather valuable customer data and market to their customer base, these restaurateurs have figured out how to combine the comprehensive functionality of our software with their superior customer service offering to build a profitable and growing private dining business.
