ManxDining.im is an online service, providing the Isle of Man with a simple solution for consumers to place food orders online. One of the first of its kind, ManxDining.im enables people to make a reservation at a restaurant or to place an order for a pick-up or delivery from local takeaways. The website displays opening times, menus, reviews, special offers and directions for each restaurant and takeaway, along with the easy-to-use booking/order interface. The website technology has proved so successful that the software is going to be rolled out to other countries in 2014.
The goal of ManxDining.im is to offer a seamless and rapid process between the customer placing a booking/order and receiving their booking confirmation/food. Integration with the Textlocal API makes sure that text messages are sent automatically to someone at the restaurant to alert them that an order has been placed, quoting the reference number in the text message. No manual process is required as the message is sent the second the order is placed.
When restaurants and takeaways sign up with ManxDining.im, they can choose out of three ways to be alerted to new orders placed; SMS, email or via a sound alert on their cash register if it is internet enabled. SMS has always proved the most popular way for restaurants to receive the order alerts, often with most electing two people to receive the messages immediately. If the order isn’t accepted within ten minutes, a follow-up reminder text message is sent, again from the API. Described as brilliant by the restaurants and takeaways who use ManxDining.im, it means that they can run smoothly and efficiently process additional orders that the service generates. While emails can often be ignored or deleted, text messages have proved a vital way to communicate in real time.
SMS has provided a cost effective and time saving solution to this booking/order management system, enabling it to run professionally and efficiently at all times.
Without the Textlocal API we wouldn’t be able to communicate with our clients with the immediacy and accuracy needed.
—Sara Stine Bauerlund, ManxDining.im
