Customers are the main element of any kind of business. In the restaurant industry, they play a huge role in determining a restaurant’s success. Thus, it is important to pay good attention to how you interact with and manage them. At the same time, retaining old customers while acquiring new ones is what keeps the business running. In order to do that, a restaurant needs CRM system to engage with existing customers and learn from their feedback and survey responses. Since customer retention isn’t an easy task, restaurants should look for technology to fill this gap. A restaurant CRM module can gather all customer insights which can be used to build your business.
This article will present you with ideas on how to use a restaurant CRM system to grow your business. But first, let us understand what it is.
What Is A Restaurant CRM System?
Restaurant CRM is a module present in the POS systems that helps the restaurant engage with the customers. It stores the customer’s data, like name, birthdays, anniversaries, order history, etc., and makes it accessible to all outlets. The consolidation of data helps you better understand the customer journey, thereby helping you to build more authentic and profitable relationships with your customers. Furthermore, it is a great marketing tool that facilitates personalized marketing campaigns and effectively communicates the offers and discounts of your restaurant.
6 Reasons To Install A Restaurant CRM System
Engaging with customers is essential while running a business. A restaurant CRM software lets you collate the customer data and allows you to come up with customer-centric marketing strategies.
Here are some ways that sound restaurant CRM software helps build a connection with the customers.
1. Understands The Demographics
A restaurant CRM software captures and stores a variety of customer data in a single location. This gives you easy access to details like their name, age, phone number, and their order history. You can track the type of customers you are attracting based on their spending patterns and make sure that you adapt your offerings accordingly.
Analyzing the customer demographics also helps to enhance marketing strategies. You can also build specific strategies based on the region or locality where you operate as customers of different areas might have different preferences. Therefore, restaurant CRM reports help you understand the current and future demand across various outlets.
2. Manages Customer Data Centrally
Being a restaurant owner, you must be aware of how vital customer data is for the restaurant. A good restaurant CRM software will provide centralized accessibility of customer data across all outlets. This data is collected from various channels like online ordering, feedback, or surveys. You can easily segment your data according to customer behaviour and gather meal preferences. Once the customer makes an entry, information like name, age, phone number, items ordered, etc., are stored in the CRM system centrally.
3. Loyalty Program Integration
A restaurant CRM ensures a higher average order value by driving repeat visits. It can be easily integrated with third-party loyalty programs to create point-based or visit-based custom loyalty programs for customers. Since POS systems now work on the cloud, the need for physical loyalty cards or redeeming points is eliminated.
With the customer data that you have centrally stored, you can gather the meal preferences and figure out customer behaviour. This can be used to run personalized loyalty programs. Furthermore, CRM software also facilitates running loyalty program campaigns across multiple outlets.
4. Improves Marketing
A restaurant CRM software improves restaurant marketing by promoting personalized offers via emails and SMSs. The collected customer data can be used to let your customers know about your latest offerings via email. Personalized emails can also be sent to them based on their eating behaviour or special events like birthdays or marriage anniversaries. Email campaigns can even be scheduled for a later date.
Not only emails but SMS marketing is also one of the essential features of a restaurant CRM software. SMSs have a high opening rate and leave an impact on customers’ minds. When a customer orders online, a restaurant CRM makes sure they get their delivery order status via SMSs. Personalized offers, latest deals and offerings, discounts, special event discounts, etc., can be shared with the customers through SMSs so that they are aware of the restaurant’s happenings.
5. Helps In Menu Optimization
Every restaurant has some popular and some unpopular dishes. A restaurant CRM software gives detailed reports on the volume and share of online and offline orders across different dishes. Using these reports, one can identify the most and least selling items. If customers frequently neglect certain dishes on the menu, then it is time for you to strike them off the menu.
This optimized menu can further be marketed via the email marketing module of the restaurant CRM software. Effective communication of the innovations and new introductions to the customers can increase the restaurant’s Return On Investment (ROI) in the long run.
6. Seeks Feedback
Feedback from customers is important as they give you first-hand insights into your shortcomings and therefore help you to improve your restaurant operations. Acting on their feedback can make the customers feel valued. Feedback can be collected through emails, comment cards, or feedback forms. You can also share the feedback with the public to increase the credibility and authenticity of your restaurant.
The questions that you ask in your feedback forms can be customized. The CRM module also suggests a variety of questions that revolve around food quality, presentation, service, ambience, and customer experience. A detailed analysis of the answers to these questions can highlight your restaurant’s positive and negative points and help you to work on them.
A restaurant CRM software is an important tool for delivering an exceptional customer experience. It’s about understanding your customers well and catering to their needs. Install good CRM software in your restaurant to convert your customers into brand advocates.
