A WEB-based restaurant reservations system has launched a new service designed to allow restaurateurs to relay information to customers on their smartphones.
The new Professional service from Livebookings aims to allow restaurant operators to combine their online, phone and walk-in reservations into one list, as well as instantly update information on available tables and then send this information in real time to mobile and internet users.
The new service has a host of features, including an ‘active’ table plan, allowing staff to drag and drop bookings from their list onto the tables on the plan; a system which tracks new arrivals and diners vacating their seats on the restaurant floor plan; and a function which logs tables as free in seconds, allowing online bookers to see available tables as soon as they become free.
Livebookings chief executive Colin Tenwick said the percentage of online restaurant bookings made using mobile devices is expected to double from 12% now to 25% by the end of the year.
“Mobile and online bookings are rising fast, so we’ve focused on providing the technology to help restaurants make the most of that,” he said. “The importance of working in real time has never been greater, and the new Professional package tackles that need head-on.”
