What Restaurants Need to Know When Choosing Their CRM System

The industry's growing need for effective CRM systems has become increasingly apparent in 2024. The restaurant CRM market is poised for massive growth, with projections suggesting it will achieve multimillion-dollar expansion by 2032. This underscores the strong demand within the industry for CRM solutions, indicating significant potential for restaurants to benefit. Furthermore, 92% of consumers place greater trust in recommendations from friends and family than in traditional advertisements. To capture the attention of today’s audience, restaurants require CRM tools that can effectively manage referral-based marketing strategies. This highlights the value of CRM platforms in fostering and communicating customer referrals as a powerful marketing tool. And lastly, 75% of individuals exhibit distrust towards traditional advertisements. Therefore, it is crucial for restaurants to shift their marketing focus towards CRM-driven personalized marketing and customer engagement strategies. 

Key Considerations When Selecting a CRM

When evaluating a CRM provider, restaurants should prioritize the following features:

• Integration Capabilities: Ensure the CRM seamlessly integrates with existing systems such as POS, payment platforms, and delivery services.
• Data Centralization: The CRM must be able to unify customer data from all touchpoints, providing valuable insights for more effective campaigns. For example, what are the best upsells for customers? What customers are most likely to purchase at what hours? What customers are highly engaged with the restaurant or likely to churn? 
• Scalability and Flexibility: As your restaurant grows, the CRM should be adaptable to new marketing channels and strategies.
• Omnichannel Capabilities: Omnichannel marketing is about providing a consistent and seamless experience across all customer touchpoints—online and offline. This can include social media, email marketing, in-store promotions, third-party delivery apps, and more for restaurants. Here’s why this strategy is essential:‍
  • Consistency Across Channels: An omnichannel approach ensures that customers receive a uniform experience whether interacting with your brand on social media, through email, or in person. This consistency builds trust and brand loyalty.‍
  • Enhanced Personalization: A CRM that supports omnichannel marketing integrates data from various sources to create detailed customer profiles. This allows for more targeted and personalized promotions, increasing the chances of repeat business.‍
  • Improved Customer Engagement: By engaging customers through multiple channels—whether through personalized offers via SMS or loyalty programs through an app—restaurants can build stronger relationships with their guests.

CRM tools are instrumental in helping restaurants build trust, personalize marketing efforts, and effectively engage with their customer base. Therefore, restaurants must deploy a CRM solution that offers comprehensive omnichannel features. By doing so, restaurants can stay competitive and ensure the delivery of outstanding customer experiences across various touchpoints and channels.

Appfront offers restaurants a CRM tool fully equipped to manage the most critical guest data in real-time. Taking it a step further, the platform facilitates targeted, automated marketing campaigns along with unique upsells based on customer preferences. With Appfront, restaurants can tailor their guest experience and loyalty programs based on insights and trends to boost repeat visits and ultimately turn guests into loyal customers. Learn more about our powerful CRM system today.