The Importance of Customer Data Organization for Restaurants

Customer data organization is a key component of customer service. It’s also a powerful marketing tool that can grow your business and attract your target audience. Between those two things, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that customer data organization is crucial for restaurant success, especially now that online cookie policies are changing.

When you’re in the restaurant business, it can be hard to focus on things like data collection and target marketing. However, no matter how good your food is or how pleasant your environment is, you’re not going to get people in the door without the right marketing techniques and customer service skills.

If you know it’s time to brush up on both, let’s dig a little deeper into the importance of customer data organization for your restaurant, and how you can collect and organize quality data for your business.

Cybersecurity

When most people think of a restaurant, cybercrime isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. However, consider how much your business relies on computers and data every day. If there’s a data breach in your system, you could put your finances or your customers’ personal or financial information in jeopardy. You can strengthen your security posture by making sure your data is clean and organized, and that every member of your staff is educated on how to keep things stored securely.

When you have all of your data stored in one password-protected location, you’re less likely to experience a breach. Not only will that benefit your customers, but it will also benefit your bottom line. If your data is unorganized and can be found in multiple places, it’s easier for a cybercriminal to hack into at least one area of it, compromising important information that could cost you thousands.

Customer Service

Nowadays, it’s normal for customers to have high expectations when they come into a restaurant. Having a great menu is a start, but if they have a negative experience with your staff, they’re not going to forget about it. Not only will they likely not come back, but they’ll be more likely to post negative reviews or tell friends and family to avoid your place at all costs.

Organized data can play a big role in better customer service.

Apple and Google have recently adjusted the way they use cookies. Therefore, the first-party data your restaurant collects is even more important in making sure you’re offering customers what they want.

It’s not uncommon for restaurants to have a lot of data on file. You might have obtained it through things like:

• Email newsletters
• Contests and promotions
• Reservations
• Online orders

Whatever the case, it’s not good enough to simply have “a lot” of data. It needs to be cleaned and organized for your staff to know how to put it to good use. Data cleaning repairs, reformats and gets rid of duplicate data in a set to provide a clearer picture of what your guests want. Clean data can improve the patron experience by allowing you to create guest profiles, recognize frequent customers, and create custom, personalized experiences for loyal customers who might always order similar dishes or couples who always come to your business for their weekly date night. These might seem like small gestures, but they can make a big difference to the person stepping into your business.

Marketing Efforts

Even when your food speaks for itself, every restaurant needs to market itself in some way. Having clean, organized data makes that easier, so you can get back to taking care of the kitchen and service, rather than spending all of your time creating marketing campaigns. Using your data, you can send out daily specials to guests who might have ordered them before, or coupons for those who frequently get takeout on certain nights of the week. You can up-sell and cross-sell your items via email or text.

You can also use organized data to cater to your target audience on social media. You’ll quickly learn which posts and pieces of content get the most engagement, so you can enjoy interacting with your audience online and building trust and loyalty. You’ll also be able to “humanize” your business by offering behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and sharing new dishes and upcoming specials with your audience.

Finally, you can utilize your data to boost your profits through your marketing efforts. Use what you’ve collected to:

• Make menu changes
• Enhance customer relationships
• Offer loyalty programs
• Determine slow and busy days

Any data you collect should be used to connect with customers and foster better relationships. The closer your patrons feel to your restaurant, the more likely they are to come again and again. Keeping that data organized will make your job easier, reduce the risk of human error by your staff, and make for a more memorable experience for your customers.