Focus on Nightlife

Rookie nightclub owners (and vets alike) often ask how they can better organize and manage their VIP and guest list reservations. It doesn’t take long to realize that a no-show or a booking error can significantly impact your revenues on any given night. How do you make sure you’re bringing in the most business you can and maximizing your profits on reservations? The truth is, there are many different ways of staying organized though most build upon the same fundamental principles.

Get a system in place. It can be as detailed or loose as you’d like but make sure you have a system you and your staff can follow so that everyone is on the same page. For example, do your VIP reservations have a minimum spend? Do you have cancellation or no-show charges? Do your guest list customers get perks like no cover or queue jumps? Do all of your staff understand how these policies are applied on different nights of the week? By keeping these policies in place, you’ll always know what to expect and your VIP customers will understand that you take your reservations seriously.

Get the most out of taking reservations. Sure, a reservation can just be a name and a date but with today’s technology why not get as much as you can out of it? When someone calls to book a reservation, you should add that person to a customer database and grab as much information out of them as you can (without seeming overbearing). Get their email address, their cellphone number and why not ask them if they’d like a bottle waiting for them on their table when they arrive? Keeping a credit card on file for VIP guests never hurt either.

Make sure to confirm and remind. If you know how much a lost reservation costs your business, then you know how important it is to make sure your guests arrive. By getting customer contact info (see above), you’re greatly increasing your chances of avoiding a no-show or a cancellation. Send a confirmation email a few days before a reservation or a text message reminder a few hours in advance - and automate this process as much as possible. You can even up-sell with a confirmation by letting your VIP know what your club has to offer. Confirmations reassure your guests that you are on top of their reservation and that you value their business. Plus, when you tell your guests that they’ll receive a confirmation email with the details of their reservation, you have a legitimate reason to request their email address — and they have a reason to agree to giving it to you! With the ever-growing importance of good email lists in nightlife marketing, this is a key benefit.

Keep your staff informed. Nothing is more frustrating for staff and customers than a mix-up at the door or with a food & beverage order. Make sure you have a way of notifying your staff about important reservations. Nothing says VIP like your club’s bus boy asking your customers, by name, how their evening is going. Nothing turns a good customer off faster than the customer turning up at the door, their own guests / friends in tow, and finding their name missing from the list.

Always follow-up. Checking in with your VIP customers after a reservation is critical. You can make sure they had a great time or, if they didn’t, find out why and make sure it’s fixed for next time. You can also take the opportunity to invite them back and let them know of any deals or theme nights they might be interested in.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, but making sure that even just these core systems and processes are reliably in place can make a huge difference to the bottom line.

Nightlife industry professionals all agree on the importance of impeccable service in nightclubs. Where VIP guests are involved, there can be hardly any margin for error as one bad experience can cost a nightclub a very expensive client. Because nit picky service errors can occur from time to time, it’s crucial to minimize them to keep your customers satisfied, while avoiding any negative publicity. One of the best ways to improve service is through proper communications. Has your nightclub implemented an effective communication system? Let’s find out.

Even the smallest reservation modifications can affect each member of your staff. Because on-the-fly changes occur so often due to customer requests, it’s difficult to keep every member of your team in the loop. For example, a VIP client might call an hour before a reservation to add an F&B requirement and change their planned time of arrival. On a slow night, this might not be too difficult to manage but it gets tricky when you’re running at full capacity. Depending on who’s answering the phone, this small change will have to go through a number of people. This is when effective communication becomes very important.

Most changes have this direct effect on your entire staff. The example above requires the person who is answering the phone to properly notify the kitchen, the door staff, the VIP host, and possibly the owner if he or she requires a report on nightly revenues. Many nightclub owners who crave numbers want to see these changes at the end of a busy night. Selling one extra bottle can mean a big difference in the night’s revenues. If this line of communication breaks down, you can bet that problems are on the way.

Assuming that your staff are generally comfortable with their role in your business and motivated to create a great experience for all your customers, there are a few different tools you can use to boost communication in your club. Technology is shaping the way we communicate in the workplace. Automatic text-messaging solutions can keep a nightclub productive. Imagine sending out instant notifications to each member of your staff that is directly effected by a reservation change. New computer software packages are making sure that employees are always in touch while on duty as well.

The sooner you implement a strategic communication system in your club, the sooner you’ll notice an increase in revenues… and guests, of course.