Which is your favorite? If this is a question about a holiday destination, or an ice cream flavor, you’ll happily get involved.

However, if it’s about your kids the question is best avoided - especially if it’s being asked by one of them!

Apparently, while they might not admit it to their kids, 23 percent of parents favor one child according to a poll by British parenting site Mumsnet. Oh, and grandparents are even worse for having a ‘golden child’. Of course, this could all be rooted in something quite obvious: 61 percent of the parents said the “demanding” or “tricky” was the one who was, shall we say, ‘less favorite’.

Well, having set a reminder in your phone to call your parents to establish where you lie in the pecking order, let’s think about your customers and see what we can learn. With so many options now online in the marketplace how can your business be the ‘golden child’ and avoid being the overlooked, ‘demanding’, ‘tricky’ one?

5 ways to make sure you’re the favorite

Don’t leave them guessing. Information is key for any confident online ordering. Do you have menus displayed clearly with images and descriptions? Is there information about each item - allergens, vegan, calories, hot/cold etc? Is there a running total displayed in the basket so they are kept informed? (By the way, the more confident they are and the better the experience the more people spend! Being the favorite pays off it would seem.)

Make them feel they are your favorite too What’s their experience when they come back to your site… ‘Hello, nice to see you again’? A customer will expect to put their details in and access their profile. Can they view all their previous orders and be able to simply ‘re-order’. Or perhaps edit their recent order with ease, or just check their card details? Now they feel they are your favourite too!

A special relationship deserves special terms? It’s a shame when a relationship goes bad...and way too often money is at the centre of things. Having the most amazing food just won’t cut it if there is a fuss over getting the payment right. Having a payment gateway linked to a system which can give options in how you take payment will make sure everyone is happy.

But wait a minute - you are their favorite! Let’s keep it that way. Make sure your software allows an option for customers being ‘On Account’ too, with a customer module which can set up special rules: apply discounted terms, no minimum order, switch off delivery charges, send out vouchers and more. In fact, if the software can allow a customer to go online and view their exclusive menus that’s a great way to seal this relationship.

Ask for feedback Communication is at the heart of any good relationship. Asking for feedback shows that you are listening. Far better to hear where you can improve than to fall out of favor and not discover until it’s too late to make amends. Make sure your catering software has this built-in so you can ask for feedback with each order or just over a period of time.

Get it right every time Well, of course. That’s how you become the favorite - you stand out from the crowd with your great food, great value and great customer experience. Yes, your customer sees the menus online but what will make all the difference is what they don’t see. It’s the fact that you don’t just have an e-commerce site - you have a comprehensive catering software programme An end to end series of integrated processes ensures your customers' experiences are first class and not only ensures they always get the right food at the right time but you are always top of their favorites list!

It will pay off to be sure you can tick all these boxes. Don’t sell your customers or your staff short with a half hearted e-commerce site. Speak to one of the Spoonfed team and book a demo here to take a look at all the features mentioned above and many more. We look forward to talking!