Why not accept orders automatically?

Manage online orders FAQ section:

Why not accept orders automatically?

We don’t support nor recommend accepting the orders automatically. Here is why:

We believe that, if cooking and delivery is done by human beings not by some vending machines and drones, the online client (just like any other human being) expects that Someone (not something) accepts the order, makes sure it will be prepared and delivered, and takes care of any issue. Auto-confirmation, auto-reject reason, auto-delivery time, is worse than no confirmation at all, as people tend to spot these fake communications and get upset when they realize they talk with robots.
Such requests aim for 100% ordering automation (never calling anyone) which from our experience will require a system design that triple checks the client’s choice availability and rather rejects sales than let some blurry order requests to go through. If we do these features we are confident that you won’t sell well, and you will soon ditch the system.
The challenge is that the customers would rather call to another restaurant than wait for a confirmation 10-20 min from a system waiting for the restaurant staff to “maybe” print, read that order, then answer. Once exposed to a bad order acceptance experience the client will never come back. If we implement these “alternative” ways of taking orders then the restaurant will make little online business, and will eventually lose clients.
We make sure that orders are sent to the restaurant in real time through our unique super-reliable heartbeat technology. The order-taking app is the ultimate online client “guarantee” that the restaurant is out-there online. In case the restaurant loses connectivity, shuts off the device, logs-out etc. the client gets instantly notified that they cannot order. This keeps people away from “unpleasant” ordering surprises. No other technology can do this simpler, cheaper, easier for the restaurant, the partners and the client therefore no other system sells like ours.

How about providing some pre-defined reasons for rejecting an order?

We do not support customization of those messages and we are not going to provide such capability because we anyway provide some possible reasons for rejection, in the browser and via email, like this:

Same for missed orders:

If the restaurant staff rejects or misses an order, we suggest to call the client, apologize about the slow reaction and ask for the order right there via phone. This is what top selling restaurants do.

Such auto-message request is to make it easier and more comfortable for the restaurant staff to reject or miss orders while completely killing any customer care effort. So just rejecting the order with a predefined reason is not nicer nor better…clients will still not like it, and sales will drop.

How about rejecting only parts of an order?

This is not possible from our system. When it comes to partial reject, some other questions appear. How much should the client be charged? One way or another, the restaurant staff needs to start some non-standard “negotiation” and reach to some “common ground”with the client :

the client asks to cancel all order
the client asks for a replacement of that item with another item
the client says “fine, bring it without that thing” and still the new total has to be confirmed

So a phone call is still required.

If there is an issue with the availability of certain items, the best is to hide out that online item before someone orders it, there is no better way than human phone interaction to solve it.