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.

As the Hospitality and Foodservice market makes the appropriate adjustments and looks to re-open in many areas, it is obvious the way we do business is going to change. The traditionally warm face-to-face relationships that make the HoReCa Supply Chain a family, will be a part of this shift for sure.

Manufactures, Reps, and Distributors alike are faced with gauging how quickly business may return in order to bring teams, and even mangement, back to the mix.

This extra pressure on the industry begs the question, how can our Resellers and Distributors be as effective as usual with their hands tied?

Hospitality and Foodservice Distributors have been adopting more technology driven solutions pre-Covid, but at a comfortable pace. Other industries such as Commercial Technology and Consumer Electronics boast an abundance of mature web based distribution resources. While there are certainly leaders in the channel, this is still very much an evolving component to the HoReCa Supply Chain.

The resourceful nature of teams and organizations within Hospitality and Foodservice suggests serious innovation ahead. Leaders are looking to refining their online customer portals and ensuring the integration of all team communication channels, while continuing to reach for the best solutions in sanitization technology. Some have suggested $9 Billion in new costs to hotel properties in efforts to follow new guidelines, the actual cost to the Supply Chain will be much larger, as one of the only industries to avoid a larger downturn is Commercial Technology sales.

This forced the first signs of what could be a somewhat frustrating yet necessary move to more remote roles, workplace guidelines, and cloud business management resources. When allowed to carefully plan these moves, consisting of hundreds to the thousands of employees and some of the oldest operational systems in use, they can be a cumbersome project management task. Taking into account the current environment, the family element of this industry will be the saving grace. People tend to make the difference and it will likely be no different here.

Increased utilization of Social Media and a strategy for better measurable engagement should be on the minds of every marketing professional, if they want to make the most of the market ahead. Converting this engagement to acquisition and making sure the breadcrumbs are clear is easier than it sounds, but crucial. Bridging the gap between online, field, and back office software ensures a complete customer story at every employees fingertips, this omni-channel type of efficiency is what a slow come back will need.

The better we can maximize on the capabilities of support teams, without over burdening work loads, the smoother a return to normal in Hospitality and Foodservice will be. Thankfully, some Resellers and Distributors, like Guest Supply, are providing financial resources to help with the increased spend. This is allowing fast access to important tools for properties to evolve and proving why they are an integral part of the Supply Chain.

Perhaps some of the silver lining will be more a more efficient Supply Chain outfitted with flexible software, remote readiness, and an improved customer experience?