Gone are the days of paper tee sheets, customer logs, and monthly inventory checks that were all that was needed to run a golf course. Technology has made it easier than ever to collect data while spending less time analyzing it. Cloud-based golf management systems, for example, allow for the simultaneous collection of data from different platforms.
While having lots of data is great, you need powerful Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools to properly aggregate it into useful reports.
6 Easy Data Collection Strategies
For CRM and BI tools to be useful, you first need a robust data set. The good news is that modern technology makes data collection much easier. Here are six ways to use technology to bolster your golf course’s data collection efforts.
1. Online booking
Every time a customer books a game through a booking tool on your qatar cell phone number website, you have the opportunity to collect valuable data. A basic booking tool should at least collect player type, email, first name, last name, and phone number. More advanced booking tools will also record the number of games booked, purchase history, preferred booking time, booking channel, and more.
2. Website optimization
Modern websites are capable of collecting a ton of data about user browsing. Knowing IP addresses and tracking web interactions can help target your digital ads. This type of data can also help understand a customer’s path to purchasing parts or products online.
3. Mobile application
Mobile apps collect a lot of data about their users. They can track geolocation data, while also capturing valuable demographic data similar to what the booking tool can collect. Operators can use this data to send notifications directly based on location, booking frequency, customer loyalty point balance, and more.
4. Point of sale
With a well-trained staff, you can turn every point-of-sale transaction into a data collection opportunity. Ask for their email if they booked over the phone, or their birthday if appropriate. An effective POS system can also help you track your customers’ purchases to determine preferences and learn their purchase history.
5. Customer loyalty programs
Customer loyalty programs are proven to work across many industries, not only do they encourage repeat visits, but they also help you collect valuable data. Modern customer loyalty software helps you understand who your best customers are, who is likely to become a top spender, and who is churn. Once you know who is in each group, you can focus your marketing efforts and generate more revenue.
6. Survey your customers
This classic data collection method is wonderful for gathering detailed demographic information and understanding customer happiness. You can run surveys to extract all the data you want, but be careful not to make the survey too long.
Data analysis
Many people use the terms BI and CRM interchangeably, thinking they have the same function. These systems certainly overlap in some ways, but it’s important to keep in mind that they are not substitutes.
BI tools have been developed to help businesses make better strategic decisions. It pulls information from all of your facility’s systems to create detailed reports on business performance. In the case of golf courses, these reports mainly contain information on their traffic and revenue sources. This will help you identify gaps in your strategy and know where you should focus the club’s efforts.
CRM, on the other hand, is more consumer-oriented as it focuses on the customer experience at all levels including marketing, sales, and customer service. A good CRM system should collect a variety of data such as the number of games booked, frequency of play, customer loyalty points, gender, age, booking channel preference, and much more. This abundance of customer information will allow you to segment and target your customers properly.