I think we would all imagine that most companies in the HoReCa Supply Chain have some sort of Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), or a resemblance of one in their robust ERP, right?

However, we have been surprised more time’s that one would like to admit, many HoReCa Equipment Suppliers are still trying to figure this out. Learning about a new project or in conversation with others, and you hear about a company that has been around for 50 years and is still using pen and paper.

I would hope that means there is plenty of opportunity for growth in many, likely, Small Businesses. Perhaps they have been a part of building America, or are just so good at what they do it never occurred to them…they could be even better. Either way, competitive markets have caught up to most of us and everyone is looking to drive more revenue without more overhead, that is where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) “Software” comes into play:

• Great for tracking and reducing lost opportunities or leads while improving follow-up.
• They can offer you a full picture of the product path and communication to the Restaurant or Property.
• Key tool in managing Equipment Contracts and Programs with multiple buyers and locations.
• Automate your Marketing while tailoring it to the End-User, reducing work load while optimizing relevance of messaging.
• And most of all they offer a true record of business which allows you to not only Forecast, but also Research and understand why your ROI did…or didn’t, pan out.

At their worst, CRMs are “money pits” and an annoying piece of technology that just adds to an Account Manager’s responsibilities.  When embraced and put in place slowly they push your best performers forward, and unfortunately sometimes, reveal those with the most room for improvement. This is where the questionable reputation really comes from my in my opinion, the opportunity for leadership to improve growth, just doesn’t sound the same to everybody.

Along with “Poor Usage via Reputation”, integration is the pairing factor we hear keeping some Organizations printing production reports and keying them into an Excel doc.  A little bit of extra effort here goes a long way, technically “all the way”, as it is your best tool in forecasting your sales or telling where you have been already. Thinking about how to best tailor a CRM to your team should follow a few guidelines:

• Custom Data Fields should be those statistics unique to your industry (ie: Number of Rooms, Number of Seats, and etc.) that help you size up each project.
• Follow the path of an Opportunity and make sure each of those Roles (people) involved are uniquely defined.
• Start small and continue to customize over time, if needed, don’t fall into an infinite development cycle.
• Make sure your CRM choice leads in reliability, maybe this should be #1.

Start with something in the “Freemium” model (Hubspot, Insightly, Zoho, etc.), if you are gun shy and want to get a feel. The barrier to entry has been lifted by an SaaS model that knows you don’t want to pay to play. Don’t let excuses get in the way of productivity and positive changes that are essential in attacking today’s markets. Believe it or not there are examples of success that fit into whatever challenges your organization may face; young, older, tech savvy, non-technical, small team, or large company. You name it, we are pretty sure there is an example and solution for it.