GF Issue 54

customer surveys and social listening to monitor progress and drive system results. This, along with other operations assessment tools, help us identify opportunities for continuous improvement.” THE HABIT BURGER GRILL “Genuine world-class hospitality and high-quality ingredients” For The Habit Burger Grill, providing genuine world-class hospitality and high-quality ingredients is central to delivering the elevated experience customers expect from a leading craft burger joint. The American fast-casual restaurant, with its laidback Californian vibe, specializes in award-winning Charburgers grilled over an open flame, but knows that to achieve its vision of being the ‘number one better burger brand globally’, next-level customer service is as important as the quality of burgers they’re renowned for. This hinges on creating consistency and ease of use across all customer touchpoints. “We are, and will continue to be, forward-thinking about the experience we create for our guests, both in-store or digital,” says John Phillips, chief business development officer at The Habit Burger Grill. “We want to be an all-access brand – mobile, web and in-store,” he explains. “It’s not all about the tech – it’s just as important to still maintain strong guest interaction at our restaurants, including having guest service representatives taking phone orders.” While the brand has invested in a raft of measures to ensure a smooth ordering process, it remains focused on what it knows is key to customer loyalty – food and service. “Enhanced packaging allows for better transportation of orders for off-premise dining and, since we have 35% of our guests utilizing in-store dining, we continue to elevate our dining rooms and guest interaction with team members,” adds John, showing that when it comes to maximising customer experience, no stone is left unturned. “From a tech standpoint, we’re committed to staying at the leading edge of convenience, ease of use and accessibility for our guests, starting with our website which is completely accessible on all devices, optimized for speed and convenience and as streamlined as possible. Guests can order for pick-up or delivery using the site.” Regular customers can also use The Habit Burger Grill app with just as much speed and convenience as through the website. The brand has invested heavily in the app, which maintains high review scores from guests with a 4.9 star rating out of 5. Crucially, the interface is intuitive and can be used for pick-up, delivery and curbside service. “We have also been introducing ordering kiosks at our restaurants,” adds John. “The functionality and guest experience mirrors our app, so guests have strong familiarity with using the interface. And, we have close ties with all third-party delivery platforms to ensure our guest experience remains consistent.” For many franchises, the challenge of exceeding customers’ high expectations is being able to maintain standards across the network. The Habit Burger Grill operates a significant number of corporate-owned restaurants, which allows them to implement and manage operations standards to a high level, while ensuring their carefully selected and dedicated franchisee operators are in lock-step with these standards. “It’s the initial and ongoing training, as well as consistent systemwide communications, that provide us with our secret sauce,” says John. “We set industry-leading standards in both our training and the way we roll out and communicate new initiatives. For our new in-restaurant, app and web tech introductions our information sharing is robust, so our franchisees, restaurant managers and their teams are all extremely knowledgeable.” But the brand goes one step further than many when it comes to internal communications. “We have our own help desk – The Habit Help Desk – which includes team members who have worked in the field. This means our operators always have knowledgeable support from those who know our proprietary POS, app and loyalty program inside out.” A focus on internal support is vital when it comes to ensuring the success of any tech investment and to keep all stakeholders connected to strategy. “We conduct monthly restaurant support level virtual meetings to review any new standards,” explains John “These meetings foster open dialogue on new operations and tech introductions. Plus, we have quarterly franchisee meetings to review customer experience strategies and explore ways in which we can look to the future together.” “It’s not all about the tech... guest interaction is just as important” GLOBAL FRANCHISE.COM 43 INS IGHT