 4.6 Online Vs Self Managed Data
Your Data, Your Lifeline
For most small Northern Ontario businesses, a single PC is the location of guest data. Some businesses provide access to this data on other PC's through a network. Some businesses are using or testing online storage of guest data in order to share information across different locations.
Regardless of the data solution for your business, take steps to protect your guest data by backing it up regularly and ensure the privacy of your guests and potential guests.
Successful tourism businesses are continually building their database and making adjustments, corrections, deletions, additions regularly. Using returned mail and email, bad records are purged from the database.
Keep notes of who the main contact person is for each person in your database. If a guest or potential guest is inquiring about your services, you should be able to identify who gave them the information.
Do you make a note of each point of contact you have with potential guests? Do you have a tracking system for monitoring data in and data out to ensure the best guest experience possible.?
Making efforts to contact past guests by phone when mail or email is returned may result in reestablishing connections with important previous guests or potential guests.
Each time an individual in your database contacts you, take the time to ensure that relevant contact information is up to date. If there is information in your guest record is incomplete take a moment to ask your potential guest for this data while you have them on the phone. Always make sure their inquiry is dealt with first and refine your data inquiry skills.
Slowly build profiles of everyone in the database. Don't ask for data until you need it.
Many people are hesitant to give information via the internet, web based forms or email. Always make telephone communication available, and give guests information in the form they prefer.
Email addresses are most frequently managed by cutting and pasting from this database into a traditional email client like MS Outlook. (See email and newsletter tutorials for more on managing email addresses)
Online Data
An online solution may permit simultaneous users from different locations to add or change data or access reports.
Some businesses with multiple locations and only a single data source may require guests to complete forms or answer questions more than one time.
Does your business make every effort to share data? Is there a data collection process that you use that is inconvenient for your guest?
Guest reports printed on a daily, weekly or as needs basis is easy to do with just in time information when the information is stored online or is accessible by an internal network.
 Build your Data Base with What You've got!
- names of all points of contact you have with people
- consider an employee contest, rewarding the donation of the most email addresses.
- consider a direct mail campaign by renting a mail list or email list.
- Use direct email rental lists and ask for sign ups.
- Using online email resources is a great way to create a media email list. With one click media are informed of your news and they can opt out.
- Create opt-in opportunities across your web site to collect incoming data. At the minimum collect the person's email address and area of interest.
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