If you are considering new restaurant marketing ideas, then you should definitely explore the option of implementing the latest technology in restaurant pager systems, referred to as the restaurant text pager. Used properly, a solution of this kind could lead to a substantial increase in productivity and profitability. Why, because it’s not your ordinary coaster pager.
To bring down initial costs when setting forth to purchase a restaurant pager system, you could opt for a used pager system, provided of course that the benefits surpass the drawbacks by a sufficient margin. If you approach investment in any part of your restaurant business with well-defined, long-term procurement objectives, cheapest doesn’t always equal the best. However, there are exceptions to this, so let’s start by taking a look at the advantages.
The Pros
The positives of choosing a used restaurant pager system over a new one can depend on the individual characteristics of the buyer, but always revolve around the cost factor. Clearly, used restaurant pager systems are a lot cheaper than brand new ones ($4,000), and this can be incentive enough for businesses to explore options on the second-hand market.
With innovation always round the corner, the cost of technology is coming down at a very fast pace making restaurant text pager or cell phone pagers a much more attractive and affordable alternative over a traditional guest pager system. Restaurant text pager systems such as Mobile Matradee or Guest Text have an integrated SMS text marketing application that can be very effective to drive business on nights you don’t have a wait this increase your revenue. A restaurant pager system that actually pays for it self.
The Cons
Like with anything that is used or not new, you will have little or no knowledge of your system’s usage history. Some units may have been dropped, repaired, modified, or even not have worked well in the first place. Because of that, buying second-hand can be risky.
Make sure you also consider the battery usage in the units you are buying. Many pagers use expensive proprietary batteries instead of standard AA or AAA batteries, so be careful of that. Another advantage of cell phone pager systems is the pager is the guest’s actual cell phone, hence you are not responsibility for maintaining or replacing the pagers.
Additionally, chances are the warranty or after-sales support on your system is well expired, and will require additional costs to renew. Plus, unlike a brand new guest pager system, you’re unlikely to receive any installation or training support, at least not without having to pay extra. While most pager systems aren’t really that difficult to use, choosing the right system for your restaurant is critical.
Also, check that the system has no finance owing tied to it. If you were to buy from a restaurant that is about to undergo liquidation, you could get in trouble with the liquidators a few weeks down the road. Lastly, consider if there are still readily available spares or replacement parts, at what cost, and for how much longer. If the unit you are buying is no longer in production or has been replaced by a new model, check its level of compatibility with the former before you make your purchase. Our recommendation is to subscribe to a restaurant text pager solution for essentially the same investment as a quality used coaster pager system with a greater return on investment.