How to use your hospitality CRM data

In this article, we explain how you can harness your hospitality CRM data, addressing some of the common challenges faced by operators and providing tips and best practices for data management, collection and analysis.

Whether you’re interested in improving the customer experience, personalising and targeting your marketing campaigns or increasing revenue, this article will provide valuable insights into how to leverage your CRM data to achieve your business goals.  

What is CRM data? 

CRM data refers to the information that businesses gather and analyse to better understand their customers and improve customer service. This data can come from various sources, such as customer contact details, booking and purchase history, feedback and reviews, social media interactions and loyalty program data.

CRM data is valuable to any hospitality business, and can help operators improve customer satisfaction, boost revenue and gain a competitive advantage in the market. Overall, CRM data is a crucial resource that enables food and drink-led businesses to improve their customer relationships and achieve their business goals. 

Where does your hospitality CRM data come from? 

Your customer data comes from the various touchpoints your customer has with your business throughout their customer journey. You should think carefully about where these touchpoints are and how they might look different for different customers.

For example, one customer might book a table online and another customer's first interaction might be when they walk through the door. At each digital touchpoint - you have an opportunity to collect data and marketing consent for your customer.  

Some sources of customer data for pub, bar and restaurant businesses include; 

• Direct customer interactions (face-to-face conversations, emails, phone calls) 
• Social media platforms 
• Booking and reservation systems 
• Loyalty programs 
• Third-party data providers 
• Customer surveys and feedback forms 
• Website analytics and tracking data 
• Order and pay-at-table systems
• WiFi sign-ups 
• Purchase data and customer history data 

By gathering and analysing data from these various sources, restaurant and hospitality businesses can gain valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and habits. This information can then be used to personalise marketing campaigns, improve customer service and ultimately drive revenue growth. 

Why is CRM data important for your hospitality business? 

Improving the customer experience 

One of the primary benefits of using CRM data for any hospitality business is that it enables them to better understand their customers' preferences and tailor their service to meet their needs. This can result in a more personalised and satisfying experience for customers, which is important for building loyalty and encouraging repeat business. 

Boosting revenue 

Another benefit of using CRM data is that it can help businesses identify high-value customers and target them with the right promotions and offers. This can lead to increased revenue, as well as cross-selling and upselling opportunities. 

In addition, research has shown that it is generally more cost-effective to retain existing customers than to acquire new ones. By using CRM data to encourage repeat business and increase customer spend, businesses can see a higher return on investment than if they were solely focused on attracting new customers. 

Improving operational efficiency 

CRM data can also help fast-faced hospitality sector businesses improve their operational efficiency. By using data to forecast demand, manage inventory and schedule staff more effectively, businesses operating in the hospitality sector can reduce costs and operate more efficiently. 

Personalisation and segmentation 

One specific way that hospitality businesses can use CRM data to improve their customer experience and boost revenue is by personalising their marketing efforts. By using data on a customer's past visits and preferences, you can create targeted promotions and exclusive offers that are more likely to resonate with the customer. 

How Acteol CRM can help you to get the most from your customer data 

Access Acteol CRM helps restaurant, pub, bar and hospitality businesses gather and analyse customer data from multiple sources to gain a comprehensive view of their customers and their preferences, enabling them to personalise their service and marketing efforts. 

By gathering and analysing data from multiple sources, hospitality businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their customers' behaviour, preferences and needs. This information can be used to personalise marketing campaigns and create customised offers and promotions that are more likely to resonate with customers.

Businesses can segment their customer base by demographics, interests and other criteria, allowing them to tailor their marketing efforts to specific groups of customers on a CRM platform designed specifically for the hospitality sector. 

Acteol CRM also provides food, drink and experience-led businesses with a comprehensive view of each customer's history and preferences, allowing them to enhance customer service and provide a more personalised and satisfying experience. For example, if a customer has a history of ordering vegetarian dishes, a restaurant can recommend vegetarian options. This type of personalised service helps to build customer loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat business. 

In addition to improving customer service, Acteol CRM can help all hospitality businesses:

• improve operational efficiency by forecasting demand
• manage inventory and scheduling staff more effectively
• anticipate peak demand periods and adjust their staffing and inventory levels accordingly.

This helps to minimise waste and reduce costs, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective operations. 

Find out more about our hospitality CRM by downloading our brochure or getting in touch.