Formula for Success: Guest Relationship Management

At CorkGuru we spend a lot of time talking about how to help restaurants routinely achieve the ultimate high-five: delivery of great experiences and satisfied guests.

But after talking to some of our industry friends, and eliminating some of the obvious suspects (good food, nice environment, killer staff – the stuff that happens while at the restaurant) we took a deeper dive into how restaurants can set themselves up for success before and after the on-premise experience.

We boiled it down to a couple of high-level concepts, as they relate to your wine program:

Connect

There is a lot of noise on traditional social channels, as a consumer I find it hard to track the places I would like to go and events I would like to attend. Worse yet, if I find myself searching for someplace to go at the last minute, my brain suddenly becomes paralyzed and more often than not I end up with a delivery pizza.

So, how do you reach guests during times when they are making decisions about where to go? On nights when you find that your dining room is not quite as full as you would like it, wouldn’t it be great to capitalize on last minute diners?

62% of Millennials report that brand engagement is more likely to make them a loyal customer. (USC Dornsife)

Relevant push notifications are gaining traction as a means for connecting with guests. Personalized notifications are great way to remind your guests, “Hey, remember us? We’re open and ready to serve you…” and can even be used to augment your dining room on off-nights when you find that you’re less busy than expected.

Differentiate

Guests have tons of choices, the restaurant landscape is competitive, even out in the ‘burbs.

How do you differentiate yourself and give guests a reason to remember you? (HINT: personalize their experience.)

What does that mean? Let’s say you add a new wine to your program and you want to reach out to the guests who would appreciate the new offering. Or, maybe you only have a few bottles left of that unique wine everybody loves. A great digital wine platform will give you the ability to reach your best guests at a personal level.

It’s a win for the guest because they are personally receiving insider information…a win for you because you’ve not only boosted your guest loyalty quotient but you may have even sold an extra bottle of wine!

Existing customers are 50% more likely to try new products, and spend 31% more than new customers. (Nielsen)

Differentiate yourself with personalized connections that translate to improved loyalty. Loyal guests feel more relaxed while in your restaurant and develop trust for both you and your staff, which means they will be willing to try new things while there.

Retain (i.e. Loyalty)

When we say Loyalty we’re not talking about some hokey coupon program, we’re talking about legitimate loyalty where guests return often and recommend you their friends.

And don’t be afraid to throw a little data in the mix. Ohhh, I know, data can be a four-letter word but it really does help uncover the stuff in plain sight.

Consider this: would you like a better understanding who your guests are and their wine preferences? Certainly you know who your TOP top guests are, especially if they are engaging. But what about the guests who fly just under the radar, maybe they are quiet, maybe they keep to themselves but they could be just as loyal. Wouldn’t you like to personally reach BOTH guests to send a personal “thanks” their way?

Customers that have an emotional connection to a brand are 4x more likely to do business with it and 50% more likely to recommend it to others.  –Motista Market Research Firm

Having access to your best guests would mean that you could reach them on a personal level, boosting your likeability and establishing a long-term relationship. It means that you can have meaningful interactions before the guest arrives and after they leave.

At CorkGuru, we believe in evolving wine programs so that the experience starts before your guest enters your restaurant and continues to deliver long after they leave. It’s what we call Guest Relationship Management!