If you haven’t noticed cellphones are here to stay. The reality is your guests are so connected to them that many of them actually make dining decisions based on whether a restaurant has great Wi-Fi or if their local cell coverage is solid.
Guests will even leave poor reviews for sub-par cell coverage!
When Wi-Fi exploded onto the scene in the early 2000s, it was touted as a great driver of traffic, but that isn’t as true today with the return to unlimited data plans by all the major cell carriers. If the trend continues, it will become increasingly important how well the mobile service works in your restaurant as opposed to your Wi-Fi connection.
From one bar to five
Cel-Fi DUO+ helps boost your restaurant's cell signal strength for 3G/4G/LTE.
Until now, you really didn’t have any tools to address whether the mobile service in your location was good or not. If your guests got only one bar or a weak LTE signal, it’s bad times for the guest and nothing restaurant staff could do about it.
That changed with the introduction of the Cel-Fi DUO+ device by Nextivity. If your restaurant has a weak one-bar connection, you can turn that into a strong five-bar connection. That means that more of your guests can just use their own cell connection on their devices won’t need to rely on your Wi-Fi to serve them while they visit.
Think about all those business folks who come to your place for lunch, but can’t effectively take a call or return an email. They just want to use their phone while enjoying the meal you prepared for them.
That’s where Cel-Fi comes in and changes everything.
This device boosts the signal to ensure you have the best connection possible. So, even if you barely register a bar at your location, the Cel-Fi booster will increase the signal to five bars in your entire restaurant. One device can accommodate up to 256 independent connections. Most Wi-Fi can’t handle more than a handful of simultaneous connections.
So, you can save on Wi-Fi costs while still giving your guests a great Internet connection.
There are some limits, however. The device is specific to the band specs of the carriers.
There are two major cellular protocols -- GSM and CDMA. In the US market, AT&T and T-Mobile are on GSM, and Verizon and Sprint are on CDMA. This means that if you buy a device you have to specify which technology platform you want it compatible to. Since most locations only suffer from weak signals on one carrier, this is not a big deal.
Guests staying connected is crucial
The beauty of the Cel-Fi device is that it’s a one-time expense, unlike Wi-Fi where you have to pay a monthly fee and it requires that you give support to guests by way of specifying the password or identifying your network to them. With Cel-Fi, you plug in the device and it just works -- and really well.
Don't get a bad review because of poor cell & Internet coverage.
In an increasingly connected world, being able to deliver better connectivity is a crucial service that can attract or drive away guests depending on your performance. If you can improve the quality of the cell coverage in your restaurant, you are addressing multiple issues with one stroke.
Primarily, you are ensuring that guests will have access to their calls and texts, and not have to walk outside or around the restaurant to find a decent signal. However, additionally, you are taking the pressure off your Wi-Fi, so more guests can access the content they want while visiting your location.
Either of those outcomes are positive for how guests will perceive their time at your place. Things like Wi-Fi and cell coverage just need to work. The Cel-Fi device makes sure that your location isn’t a place where guests notice an issue and can enjoy their utilizing their devices without connectivity problems.
