Impact Data Holiday Hours

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

From the whole team at Impact Data we wish you a happy holidays!

Impact Data will be closed on public holidays over the festive period.

14–24 December
Open

25–28 December
Closed

29–31 December
Open

1 January
Closed

4 January
Office re-opens; normal business hours resume.

We are here to help – any urgent technical matters will be responded to as a priority. All other requests will be handled promptly when we re-open.

You can visit our support centre which is open 24/7 to find informative articles, easy to follow how-to guides and marketing advice, to help you get the most out of TalkBox. Visit the support centre here.

New team member?
You can follow our step-by-step guide on how to add a new user to your TalkBox account. Each new user is automatically sent training videos so they can get started with TalkBox.

Need some TalkBox training?
Become a TalkBox pro with our short and informative training videos. Visit our Youtube channel or sign up for additional training.

The anatomy of a successful customer engagement strategy

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

Did you know up to 80% of customers don’t return to a business, even if they have joined a database?


Whether your business has a customer database or a full-blown loyalty program, the key is to define your customer engagement strategy and execute it well for every customer.

There are four parts to a successful customer journey:

  • Welcome and onboard
  • Surprise and delight
  • Engage
  • Retain


Each of these stages is relevant to the individual behaviour of customers. The timing in which you react to those behaviours can be the difference between an engaged, inactive or even confused customer.

We created a guide designed to help you plan for the different stages. Download it now and learn how to engage with your customers across their life cycle with your business.

Download the guide.

Ready to change that stat and get more loyal customers?

Talk to us today about you can engage with your customers automatically with TalkBox.

How to stay busy all year long with Impact Data

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

You are busy now, that is great! But what if you could use the traffic you have during this time to give a quieter period a boost?  Imagine in six months time if you could drive sales on a slow day when you need it most? 

Well, here’s how; Capture every customer. 

Do you have a way to capture all these new customers who are visiting your business and want to hear from you, and come back?

  1. The systems in your business could be a great source of data and a way to grow your contact list
    Check out your booking platform, Guest WiFi, Loyalty program or, if you added new systems during lockdown such as online ordering, pay at table or even a customer check-in tool for COVID-19 contact tracing such as VisitSafe, talk to us today about connecting them with your TalkBox account.
  1. Add a sign-up form to your website
    You can use the form builder in TalkBox to ask website visitors for their details such as name, email and birthday.  Learn more about TalkBox forms here.
  1. Give your customers a reason to sign up
    A voucher or promotion such as a free drink is a great way to incentivise another visit. Include this offer in your welcome message and get that second visit automatically. Learn how to create welcome communications here.
  2. Take your contact list sign-ups offline
    With everyone busy celebrating there are a few ‘old school’ ways that can help to capture all the new customers who might be part of a large function, or too busy socialising to log on and sign up. A bowl at the end of the bar where customers can leave a business card for a chance to win a voucher for your business, signage in your premise to promote customers to sign up, or encourage staff to tell customers to join the mailing list to win a prize and receive exclusive discounts.
  3. Get connected
    We have recently added a range of new data partners if you recognise any on our list get in touch and let’s get you connected. Set yourself up for success in 2021 today.
    Check out our full list of Data Partners here.

Want to get in touch? Contact us at hello@impactdata.com.au

How to reconnect with your members after the COVID-19 lockdown

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

2020 has been challenging for businesses on many fronts. With more time spent out of your venue than in it, how do you reconnect with members, ensure they stay members and keep coming back to your venue.

If you have made the decision to extend your membership term, reset points or give members more time to hit a hurdle or tier, you need to inform them of the change in conditions.

Your TalkBox account has a number of features that can assist you and help you improve the contactability of your database.

Here’s some of the tools that can help you:

1. Non-marketing communications

Sending a non-marketing communication is a feature that you can use to connect with all members even if they are not currently subscribed.  This is because critical membership updates are not marketing so you can use our feature to communicate with your whole member base.  Remember the primary purpose of the communication cannot be marketing but you should include an invitation to customers to update their details online or in-venue so they aren’t missing out on member benefits. If you have a large portion of your database that’s unsubscribed this is your best way to connect with your members. 


2. Get attention with SMS. 

Did you know that on average people check their phones 96 times a day, that’s once every 10 minutes!  This means that SMS is your best chance at getting your members attention.  An SMS sent from TalkBox is much more than 160 characters,  you can attach a beautifully designed and enticing email that showcases all the best parts of your venue and menu.  Need help?  Reach out to support@impactdata.com.au

3. Turn on automated messages. 

Whether it’s welcome, birthday, lost or a scheduled function reminder, always-on type communications mean your TalkBox account is always working for you.  Need inspiration? See how you can use automated communications here. 

4. New fields in your account

If you are an Impact Data Package client you might have some new fields in your account.  Over the last few months we have been upgrading accounts and adding new calculations such as weekdays visited and visit frequency.  These fields give you a chance to prioritise customers that haven’t come back since you re-opened and send them your best offer. Learn more about what these fields can do here.

5. Use vouchers to bring customers back

If you haven’t tried vouchers to drive customers and members back, now might be the time.  We have a selected number of partners that have a TalkBox voucher integration including SwiftPOS, Bepoz, Senpos and H&L/Zen.  If you have another provider you can use TalkBox vouchers which are simple to set up and even have ‘happy hour’ functionality

6. Get connected with our partners

If your member database is a bit stale it might be time to give it a boost.  Have you added new partners to your business such as a reservation booking platform, online ordering partner or even order at table?  Chances are that there are a number of potential new members hidden in those databases.  Talk to us about how to connect these additional partners and grow your database and membership.

7. Add all your marketing Opt-ins from VisitSafe

The pathway to reopening meant many businesses used a ‘track and trace tool’. If you have used VisitSafe by Impact Data we can add those recent visitors who have opted in for marketing to your database.

The Impact Data team are here to help you reconnect with your members and grow your business so connect with us at hello@impactdata.com.au and we will work through a plan with you.

Local restriction tier system tips- what to say to your customers

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

Remove the confusion and let them know you are open

The tiered system that comes in to play on December 3rd may mean changes for your business. It’s important to let your customers know if you’re open and to what degree.

Clear and regular communications will remove any confusion that may affect whether a customer will purchase from you, and keep your business top of mind when restrictions ease. 

Read on for our list of ways you can communicate with your customers depending on what tier your business is located in. 

Tier 3 – Promote your Takeaway and keep customers engaged. 

  • Takeaway – Send regular reminders about your takeaway. SMS has proved to be a great way to drive sales and reach every customer.
    TIP: Promote specials and add a link to your menu by selecting ‘add promotion’ in the SMS editor.  Learn how one business received an additional 100 orders from just one SMS here.
  • Gift Vouchers – A great way to boost cash flow and a popular gift. Promote your gift vouchers with SMS before Christmas. 
  • Christmas and New Years bookings – Let your customers know about booking and availability for Christmas and New Years Eve. If you haven’t opened bookings, a communication titled ‘bookings opening soon’ is a great way to make sure your customers open and read your emails. 

Tier 2 – We are open, with some restrictions in place

All communication ideas from tier 3 plus…

  • Open / Closing times – Now that opening hours are restricted, let your customers know.  Include information on how to book and promote your takeaway food and beverage.
    TIP: Send this message via SMS to reach every customer. 
  • Incentivise a visit – Restrictions may mean limited foot traffic, which means a reduction in new customers. Prioritise your loyal customers and your contact list in TalkBox to keep business moving. Send customers an attractive offer to bring them back.  
  • Covid Safe procedures – It’s important to outline your Covid safe procedure. Include a link in every communication so that customers know what to expect when visiting you. 

Tier 1 – We are open, and keeping you safe and keeping you safe

Sad to say this only covers 1% of the population.  Hopefully, the government will address this through pressure by hospitality leaders & MPs so that more businesses move into Tier 1.

Want more? 

There is always something you can talk to your customers about. Here are a few more ideas to keep customers engaged when they can’t physically visit you.

  • Sending Christmas greetings from staff and management
  • Meal boxes a group customer can enjoy from different locations 
  • Promote hampers of your wine or condiments selection
  • Local news
  • Recipes from your chef 
  • Promote special festive menus 

If you want help connecting with your customers when they can’t visit you talk to us today. hello@impactdata.co.uk

Think Black Friday isn’t for your business? Think again

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is the biggest shopping weekend of the year and the unofficial kick-off of the festive shopping season. The four-day retail event traditionally starts with an in-store bargain hunt, ending with an online ‘click frenzy.’ Despite the changes, restrictions and economic uncertainty, with the right strategy in place businesses can use the new  consumer behaviour to strength and secure growth for the future. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the retail landscape, and along with it the purchasing preferences, behaviours and habits of consumers. Whilst in-store visits took a nosedive, online traffic reached unfathomable heights, paving the way for a new customer-business relationship. Businesses who could communicate with email and SMS with their customers when they weren’t physically on premise fell on less shaky ground than those who couldn’t. 

Many hospitality businesses also embraced online stores for hampers, dinner boxes and even their famous condiments.  Why not build on this momentum and create special packages with a Black Friday theme.

This year, after all we have learnt, we are now looking at a magnificent opportunity to regain some lost ground in both retail and online hospitality. Let’s turn this busy period regardless if your business is a bricks and mortar store or online into your best one yet.

Here’s how….

Capture their details

Create members only discount offers – this will encourage new customers to sign up, join your contact list.  Building your contact list means you can promote offers, new products or get them back after their first visit or purchase. 

Welcome or onboard new customers

Great they have signed up, now what? Don’t wait 6 months when things get quiet and you think ‘oh maybe I should send an email to my contact list’… Set up an automated communication that welcomes them to your store, tell your story and maybe even dangle a little carrot to get them back? 10% discount on your next purchase? 

Your secret weapon

Here’s the clue: You use it every day to talk to friends and family. 

SMS is a powerful and often underutilized marketing tool.  SMS reaches more customers than any other marketing platform and most are opened within 90 seconds after being received. Targeting customers with the tools they use is the perfect way to get the attention of a busy and distracted customer. 

SMS could help remind your customers about you while promoting your Black Friday sales. SMS is great to re-engage with customers who may not respond to other forms of marketing. 

Here are a few tips for Sending an SMS to promote your Black Friday sales:

  1. Keep your SMS short and tactical. Have a call to action that will get results, such as a time sensitive discount. 
  1. Make it personal. Include a merge field such as first name to grab your reader’s attention. 
  1. Make it more than just an SMS. In TalkBox you can  include additional information or promote the best Black Friday offers with images and text by selecting ‘add promotion.’ This will take you to the email editor where you can create a branded flyer with links to your website or directions to your store. 

Customers expect to receive lots of marketing during this time so sending 1 SMS each day with a different special or deal, can help to increase engagement as they anticipate what the next offer could be. 

Want to build better relationships with your customers and set your business up for success? Talk to us today.

Secrets to successful communications

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

– 2020 Report –

Greater personalisation and data-driven targeting has helped businesses using TalkBox to stay connected with their customers and keep them coming back.

This clever use of customer information has contributed to a more engaged audience and higher open rates. Our analysis shows customers are listening and want to hear from your business. Generally, email open rates have declined but our report bucks that trend.

Download our 2020 Report here.

A key takeaway from our 2020 report: build a list of fans.

Create a list of customers who want to hear from you. Connecting your data sources such as guest WiFi, POS, or booking platform to TalkBox means you will be able to communicate with your most recent and engaged customers.

Customers who ‘opt-in’ to receive marketing communications through these streams will be a valuable audience, and your communications will be less likely to end up in their spam or junk folders.

Want to know more about connecting the data sources in your business? Talk to us today.

Read about how one franchise uses guest WiFi to drive loyalty here.

Would you like Fries with your WiFi?

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

Case Study – Lord of the Fries NZ

Lord Of The Fries opened their first New Zealand store in 2016, overthrowing the traditional model of ‘fast food’ serving up ethically and sustainably sourced meals and snacks. Contrary to the 1950s namesake novel, there is no ‘spilling of the blood.’ Lord of the Fries celebrates a menu comprised entirely of vegetarian and vegan options winning over the hearts and stomachs of even the toughest carnivorous customers.

The fast-food industry is temperamental to trends, knowing this Lord Of The Fries implemented a clever customer retention strategy using Loyalty Automations Package by Impact Data to drive loyalty. Capturing customers’ contact details as they sign up for Guest WiFi and integrating TalkBox with their POS system IdealPOS means they can connect with customers when they are not in store, by sending clever targeted communications.


Lord Of The Fries has seen significant growth in its database since connecting their Guest WiFi to TalkBox, with an average monthly database growth of 24%. Guest WiFi offers immense benefit to both parties; customers get to access and scroll their favourite apps while they wait for their meals, and Lord Of The Fries gains behavioural data and opportunities to promote their products to their customers.

In this industry, new customers are especially vulnerable to competitors. Lord Of The Fries uses TalkBox to secure a second visit with an automated welcome communication. Shortly after a customer visits a Lord Of The Fries store and logs on to Guest WiFi for the first time, they receive a communication that thanks them for visiting and invites them back with the offer of a free small fries to enjoy next time. The offer worked to entice 8% of customers back within two weeks and 25% back within six months.

The key to beating the competition, and a longstanding rule of marketing – stay top of mind. Lord Of The Fries sends regular updates on new menu items, blog posts or special offers to keep customers engaged, and it works. Their open rates are 38%, above the industry averages as customers are keen to see if a communication holds a surprise, delight or reward.

Talk to us today about using Guest WiFi to drive your customer loyalty.
hello@impactdata.com.au

Navigating Lockdown 2.0 is hitting the UK and Europe hard; is your hospitality business ready?

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

Our 5 point plan can help

The time that we all dreaded is upon us where whole or parts of countries are going into lockdown, again.  Regardless of how well you fared the first time around, you can still drive revenue with the right strategy in place.  We have put together the best tips that we learned including those from our colleagues in Australia who have successfully navigated the easing of restrictions and the beginning of the resurrection of their hospitality businesses.

Customers are the lifeblood of your business and the key is to keep them engaged, regardless of whether your business is open for trade.  Connect with them across all of your platforms: email, SMS and socials.  Keep your messages authentic, use images of your business, staff and food to remind them why they love what you do and to help stay top of mind.

There is a lot to think about, so we have curated our top tips to stay connected with your customers to give your business the best chance of navigating the lockdown and beyond:

  1. Connect all your customer data
    If like many hospitality businesses you have data locked away in your loyalty program, Guest WiFi, restaurant or accommodation booking platform, now is the time to extract it and add it to your email platform. 

Some other places to think about where customer contacts might be stored include; sign up forms on your website, function bookings and online orders. If you used a tool like VisitSafe.at to collect customers for track and trace, you might find a number have opted in for marketing. Learn how to connect your TalkBox and VisitSafe Accounts here. 

Now is the time to gather all these customers into your digital marketing platform so you can start talking to customers.

  1. Let customers know whether you are open in any capacity.  If you are completely closed let them know via email or SMS and make sure you place a notice on your website.  You might also update your Google listing.  Remember customers are going to be staying close to home so if you know your locals from your visitors then give them priority in your communications.  

    If you have decided to add online delivery or take away options but didn’t last time then that’s a critical message to get out. You might want to consider a weekly message to let customers know of your specials.

    Even if your business is only taking orders from one of the aggregators like Uber Eats, then you still want your customers to know where to find you.
  1. Generating business in lockdown.
    One of the most successful pivots we saw in Australia was www.providoor.com.au that went from a start-up selling at home packs to selling $1.5m of pre-packaged meals from some of Melbourne’s top 50 restaurants each week.

    Some other ideas include selling gift vouchers (consider adding value eg $120 face value for only $100), selling your sauces or jams that you make for the business as add ons to take away meals or as gifts in hampers, 

    If you are famous for your wine list why not create food and wine pairing dinners that can be pre-purchased and even include a link to a video where your sommelier explains the pairings.

    If you or other local businesses are doing delivery, why not join forces and create an experience that showcases a few businesses in your suburb eg dinner from the local restaurant, wine from the off-license, chocolates or dessert from another cafe and even a few books from the local book store.  These packs could also work as great Christmas gifts.
  2. Staying in touch with your customers is perhaps even more important if you are not trading at all.  Some great ways to do this include:
  • Telling your story – how did you decide on the name, develop the famous burger that everyone loves etc.  Old photos of your business will help bring this to life
  • Profile your team – talk about their passions, favourite coffee or cocktail and why they got into hospitality
  • Showcase your suppliers – are you famous for plant-based ingredients or locally sourced product?  Customers love to know the origin of their food
  • Create at-home recipes for some of your dishes 
  • Ask for reviews.  Not only will this help you create new content for your website and socials, but it can also improve rankings on search and more importantly it can help remind your customers why they love coming to your business.

5. Build your reopening plan. Most hospitality business owners are time poor.  Use this time to look at your business from top to bottom and really analyse what’s working and what needs improvement. This journey can also be communicated to customers; let them know about new menu items you are creating, get them to vote to keep favourites on the menu and changes you are making to the layout or renovations you are planning.  

As your business moves closer to re-opening, let customers know how you are preparing. Setting expectations around how you will manage capacity, showing off the theatre of your COVID clean and letting customers know of changes are critical to providing reassurance and safety about coming back on premise.

Experience has shown that businesses who stayed connected to their customers during crisis bounceback faster and stronger.  It takes considerably more time, effort and resources to attract a new customer than to stay in touch with your current ones. Consider your customer database a key asset for your business, give it attention and respect now and let it help your business now and when things return to normal.

Impact Data are here to help. Talk to us today about how we can help you connect with your customers and drive business.

hello@impactdata.co.uk

When to use SMS

Posted on , updated on by Kate Brook

SMS is an excellent tool to re-engage with customers who may have forgotten about your offer or not visited in a significant period of time. SMS commands attention, it can reach customers who may not respond to other forms of marketing.

Including SMS in your automated communication strategy is a great way to get maximum reach and get your message read.

Here are just 2 examples:

1. SMS a voucher reminder
Humans by nature are forgetful. You customer may have had every intention to claim their free drink or discount on their next visit but life got in the way.

When creating a voucher you have the option to send a ‘Voucher reminder’. Sending a voucher reminder via SMS can help maximise redemptions and bring customers in.

2. Re-engage with lost customers
Do you know that over 50% of your customers don’t return for a second visit? SMS has a far deeper reach than any other marketing tool, which makes it the perfect tool to re-engage with customers who may not have visited your business for a while.

Want to know more? Watch our short video and see how easy it is to create and send SMS with TalkBox here.

Talk to us today about how you can use TalkBox to get your customers back in and drive business. hello@impactdata.com.au