Do you know who your guests are? The ones who frequent your venue, who spend a lot of money, and who would be considered “loyal?” Many venues think they do, but few have the full picture.
Recognizing your guests’ faces or even their names is just the start. Imagine knowing how many times they’ve been to your club, how many reservations they’ve made, how much money they’ve spent, and what their most popular drink purchases are. That’s valuable information, and that’s what’s going to propel you forward. And a robust customer relationship management (CRM) system that’s tied to your point of sale is just what’s going to get you there.
Here’s what you can uncover when you know your guests on a deeper level.
1. Better identify guests
We’ve been to venues where high-profile guests were stopped at the door by the bouncer and denied access, purely from the fact that the bouncer didn’t recognize that guest. This lack of communication and identification is a threat to your club. Not only did you not make money from that person that night, but that person is likely not excited to return to your venue again.
2. Upsell guests before they walk through your doors
Your CRM system helps you know who your guests are so you can identify them in line (especially when you have a mobile CRM system). You can tell from this system if a guest is a regular attendee for your bar crowd, which means you can offer to upsell them to bottle service right then and there. It’s always best to be as personal as possible when doing an upsell, so mention that you notice they come in often and think they would enjoy a bottle service experience. They’ll be more likely after this experience to continue to be a bottle service customer, become more loyal to your venue, and refer friends.
3. Provide personalized service
VIP guests don’t want to be treated like a number. They should be greeted at the door, walked to their table, offered their personal top-purchased liquors, and attended to by their favorite server. Having a CRM system in place helps track this information to give seamless VIP service from all staff members. What’s more is the CRM system enables you to provide personal touches to your regular bar crowd, too. After all, in the age of big data, people are used to being treated as an individual by companies more than ever before.
4. Improve marketing efforts
Because your CRM system tracks important customer activity, such as when they come to your club, how much they spend, what they drink, and how many people they bring with them, you’re able to send more targeted, personal and relevant messages to individual guests. This means you’re able to use filters to segment your customers into specific targeted audiences, which in turn means each audience gets messages that are 100% relevant to their habits. That’s powerful marketing, and that’s what continues to drive guests into your venue.
