Turn Customer Waiting Time Into Offers and Data With Zaheb
· Cortex Solutions
Customer waiting minutes are wasted at most counters. Zaheb turns them into a branded page with your offer, an alert when the order is ready, and prep-time data.
In every restaurant, café, pharmacy or workshop, there is a moment that repeats dozens of times a day: the customer has paid, the order is being prepared, and they are waiting. It might be two minutes or fifteen. In most shops these minutes are wasted for everyone: the customer stands at the counter or asks the staff again and again, the shop gets nothing from their attention, and at the end of the day the owner does not know how long customers actually waited.
In this article we look at waiting from a different angle: not only as a problem to eliminate, but as a marketing opportunity and a source of data.
Where does the value of waiting time go?
- Lost attention: the customer looks at their phone throughout the wait, but what they see has nothing to do with your shop.
- Crowding and questions: when customers don't know their order status they stand by the counter or ask "Is it ready?", distracting staff and crowding the space.
- Estimates instead of numbers: most shop owners know their prep time "roughly" and have no figure to measure improvement across branches or peak hours.
- Forgotten orders: a ready order waits for its owner without anyone knowing whether the call reached them.
The solution: make waiting an experience with your identity
The idea is simple: instead of waiting in a void, the customer gets a page on their phone with your shop's name and logo, follows the order status there, sees what you want them to see, and receives a clear alert the moment the order is ready. At the same time, every ticket becomes data you can read.
How does Zaheb do it?
Zaheb from Cortex Solutions is a customer-calling solution based on a number printed on the receipt, and it works in three steps:
- The cashier issues the ticket: with every order, a large number is printed on the receipt with a QR code beneath it.
- The customer scans the code: a page opens where they follow the order status directly on their phone, with no app to download, no account to create, and no phone number requested.
- With one tap on the orders screen, the order switches to "Ready", and the customer's phone vibrates with a clear alert sound, even if the screen is locked. On iPhone, the alert arrives through a lightweight App Clip.
What turns waiting into a marketing opportunity:
- A page with your shop's name and logo: the Zaheb plan includes custom branding on the customer page, so customers see your brand, not a generic page.
- Your space on the page: show an offer or campaign while the customer waits, such as a new product, today's deal or an add-on that suits their order.
- A calling screen above the counter: a link you open on any screen or TV, and the plan includes a display screen where you can announce whatever you like to your customers.
From waiting to numbers you can read
The Zaheb dashboard gathers all of today's tickets on one screen, status refreshes every ten seconds, and calling is one tap. The dashboard shows clear counters:
- Orders in preparation.
- Orders ready and awaiting pickup.
- Orders whose owners have not opened the page, so you know who may need to be called the usual way.
You know who picked up and when, so average preparation time becomes a number you read rather than an estimate. With that number you can compare peak hours, decide when you need an extra staff member, and track whether performance improved after any change in the kitchen or at the counter.
Works alongside your current system
Zaheb does not require Cortex's cashier; it works on its own from its dashboard, and you can issue tickets, call customers and close orders from one screen. If you use Cortex POS (a separate subscription), the ticket is issued with the invoice and calling becomes automatic. Setup takes minutes: no database to build, no server to prepare, and no devices to buy.
The idea is not limited to restaurants and cafés; it works wherever there is waiting: clinics, pharmacies, workshops, salons and pickup points.
Cost and trial
According to Zaheb's official page, there is one plan with every feature at SAR 200 per branch per year (excluding VAT), with unlimited alerts regardless of ticket count, a 14-day free trial with no card, and you can cancel anytime.
As your business grows, you can expand from the same account and dashboard to point of sale, financial management, purchasing, HR and an online store.
Start today
If your customers wait every day, make their waiting work for you: your brand in front of them, your offer on their phone, a call that reaches them wherever they stand, and real numbers on your dashboard.
Learn about Zaheb: https://cortex.sa/solutions/zaheb
Start the free trial: https://zaheb.io
Or talk to us on WhatsApp: +966 50 144 2924