Introducing: ConnectSmart® GO – Off-Premise Order Management System

Today we’ve launched ConnectSmart Go, an off-premise aggregator for iOS. With CS-Go, restaurateurs can enhance their off-premise functionality by centralizing their operations; every order that comes in is routed to the kitchen, provides real-time order status, and informs staff of how the order leaves the restaurant (delivery, curbside, carryout). For now, the solution is free to current ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) and ConnectSmart Host (Formerly DineTime) users, to help streamline the massive uptick in off-premise delivery orders that have come in since the beginning of the novel coronavirus, which has dramatically upended our lives. To learn more about the ConnectSmart Go and what that means to your restaurant operation, we sat down with Brian Wayne, Vice President of Customer Success, to answer all the questions you might have. 

Can you walk me through the basic functionality of the product?

Brian Wayne: ConnectSmart Go is a Front of House App that is a hub for communication with both the Back of House and your customers picking up orders for takeout, delivery, or curbside. The concept is simple, but the operational impact is significant. Off-premise orders can be sorted by pickup time, show current status, and the arrival status of the guest. CS Go provides the ability to interact with CSK, with actions like release order, fast track, cancel, and arrive. It displays order milestones, such as “started,” “packing,” and “order ready.” It gives your takeout employees an accurate quote for order pickup time for call-in orders. You can SMS your guests when their orders are ready and communicate with them with 2-way SMS. CS Go is perfect for curbside and touchless exchanges. Best of all, CS GO tracks every new data point for later reporting.

How long should it take to learn CS-Go? 

BW: CS-Go is very easy to learn. In under an hour, you and your staff can learn all of the ins and outs.

How does this help operators struggling through CV-19 closures?

BW: In a matter of a week, the entire restaurant industry as we knew it was flipped upside down. Over the past couple of years, many restaurants were focusing on bolstering their off-premise strategy and digital platform. However, with the immediate closing of dining rooms, restaurants need a way to push out off-premise orders efficiently; CS Go can make a direct impact. Even as dining rooms reopen for business, I expect this event to push off-premise dining even more into the forefront, moving forward. And I genuinely believe that CS Go can be a game-changer for restaurants of all types, both during this crisis and after.

What is an “off-premise aggregator?”

BW: Most restaurants have several different points of entry for off-premise orders. For example, you may have three various delivery services, a website or app that allows guests to place online orders, and the ability to take call-in orders. An off-premise aggregator will enable you to view and manage all of these orders in one place.

How is CS-Go different from ConnectSmart Kitchen or ConnectSmart Host?

BW: ConnectSmart Kitchen is a back-of-house (BOH) solution that manages the production of orders in kitchens. ConnectSmart Host is a front-of-house (FOH) system that manages the guest traffic walking in the door for dine-in seating.  CS Go is a little bit of both. It’s a FOH app, like ConnectSmart Host. However, you’re managing and communicating with a list of off-premise guests, not dine-in guests. It’s much like ConnectSmart Kitchen, in that it’s providing insight into the production of off-premise orders. Rather than focusing on the production and preparation of the orders themselves, CS Go is more of a window into their status, with the emphasis on delivering the orders to the guest or driver picking them up.

What efforts are we taking to help operators get set up with this software?

BW: We are fully committed to providing all the help you need to get this new App launched in your restaurants. QSR’s talented team of trainers, implementers, account managers, and support will be there for you every step of the way.

How does CS-Go integrate with existing third-party delivery services?

BW: CS-Go relies on the 60+ point of sale (POS), online ordering, and kiosk integrations that exist today to feed orders to our ConnectSmart Kitchen solution. As long as your delivery services can integrate with your POS, and your POS can integrate to ConnectSmart (I bet it does!), then you’re in luck. We’re always looking to expand our integrations to new point-of-sale devices, online ordering providers, kiosks, and delivery providers. We’re in this together! Learn more about ConnectSmart Go below

Learn More

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About the Author

Brian leads the Implementation, Project Management, Training, and Support Services groups, guiding customers to get the most out of QSR products. He has dual degrees in Information Systems and Operations Management and is a big baseball fan—he’s visited most of the Major League Baseball parks and loves spending summer evenings at Louisville Bats games with his family.