Serve your customers with better data
September 07, 2012
Instead of saving customer data for your benefit, you should save customer data for their benefit.
Bryan Pearson: Ecco experience repeats key lessons in good data use, 2012-Aug-27
I believe that most employees would embrace the opportunity to make the customer experience better. But it is up to the employer to provide them the necessary tools to do so, and this includes the kinds of data that show the customers’ purchase patterns and preferences.
NY Times: What restaurants know about you, 2012-Sep-4, by Susanne Craig
Increasingly, restaurants are recording whether you are a regular, a first-timer, someone who lives close by or a friend of the owner or manager. They archive where you like to sit, when you will celebrate a special occasion and whether you prefer your butter soft or hard, Pepsi over Coca-Cola or sparkling over still water. In many cases, they can trace your past performance as a diner; how much you ordered, tipped and whether you were a “camper” who lingered at the table long after dessert.
“We will write if the person is kosher or can’t eat shellfish,” said Ed Schoenfeld, who owns RedFarm in the West Village. “And we take note of the people who sat for six and a half hours last time, so next time we are sure to give them an uncomfortable seat.”