Text Messaging Featured Article

Pizzerias usually handle an intense volume of orders throughout the week, and for good reason—pizza is delicious. But whether those orders come from customers in person, by phone, online or via text message, the trick for these restaurants is staying on top of the orders as they come in amid the hustle and bustle and in a systematic way that minimizes the time customers’ wait time. No one wants to make hungry people wait too long for pizza, and customers who are fed quickly (and with the correct order) will be happier and more loyal patrons.

A strong case has been made for the use of text message ordering in the take-out industry. For people on the go, texting in a pizza order is fast and easy. Customers don’t need to be in front of a computer to order online or struggle through the mobile versions of ordering websites on their smartphones. What’s more, orders via text message are already written down, which can help prevent misunderstandings that might occur over the phone, and a customer doesn’t have to interrupt what he or she is doing to step away and place the order by phone call. Considering that over 90 percent of people in their mid-50s and below own text-enabled cell phones or smartphones, text ordering is an ideal option for pizzerias. 



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A new technology called Text2Printer can convert mobile text orders into printed slips for easy processing. In the evening, when pizzerias are at their busiest, who handles all of the orders? When taken by phone or in person, it’s simplest to write them down on a piece of paper and keep them all together in one format. But this process requires manpower that could otherwise be used serving customers eating in the restaurant or helping in the kitchen. Text ordering takes the manpower out of the equation, so that the pizzeria needs only to receive the order and, with Text2Printer, have it automatically printed out. Using Text2Printer, pizzerias don’t have to worry about juggling orders in both paper and digital formats—the orders are printed and added to the pile as they come in, keeping things moving and taking out the guesswork for employees.

Sometimes it’s just better to do things the old fashioned way—but only to an extent. Mobile ordering is convenient and increasingly popular in the digitally saturated modern era, and offering this option to customers can increase business by catering to younger, more tech savvy generations who would rather order through text than by calling. Text2Printer allows pizzerias to adopt text ordering options while still holding onto the convenience and practicality of printed orders. Having orders physically written down is not only easy to process between the counter and the kitchen, but it’s also a way to keep orders on record. I was raised with the mantra that it’s always best to have a hardcopy, and Text2Printer will give pizzerias just that.