Before discovering CaterZen's catering software, Slap’s BBQ was managing their catering operations with a haphazard system. Francine McCulloch, the Director of Catering Sales, recalls, “We had a different, not professional company like CaterZen that was helping us book. It was inefficient and didn’t offer near the benefits that CaterZen did, so we feel like we got much more efficient and accurate in our catering after we switched to CaterZen.”
The need for a more robust and efficient solution was clear as the business grew, and the existing system couldn’t keep up with the demands of managing orders, invoicing, and customer communications effectively.
Decision to Switch
The transition to CaterZen was driven by several factors. The comprehensive presentation of CaterZen’s features stood out to Francine and her team. She mentioned, “The support - if there’s a question, a need, they were willing to listen to all the crazy what-ifs I had, and they were just - they had a complete package for us. So we were excited to switch to it.”
Unmatched Efficiency with CaterZen’s CRM
One of the standout benefits of using CaterZen has been the incredible time-saving aspect. Francine highlighted how crucial this was during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. “As we all know, we have lived through COVID where, as a restaurant and catering, we were going full bore, hitting our best year, and then everything stopped on a dime. So now we fast forward to coming out of that back side of CaterZen, and we are now having our great customers come back to us, and go, ‘I have no idea what I did back then. What did we do?’”
The ability to pull up comprehensive customer history in CaterZen's CRM has quickly has been invaluable.
"The fact that I have this awesome history is just incredible, and it’s made a huge difference for customers being confident in our ability to cater for them."
Francine McCulloch, Director of Catering Sales, Slap's BBQ
Marketing Reminders that Drive Results
Francine cannot imagine running her catering operations without several key features of CaterZen. The marketing reminders, in particular, have been a game-changer. “I do find it really helpful to get the marketing reminders. Not necessarily for an individual customer, but let’s say, you know, May is graduation month and we send out this blast email - that is automatic, I don’t think about it. So I do think it keeps me aware of looking for a bump, which usually comes.”
Grow Your Catering Sales with CaterZen
For those still undecided about whether to implement CaterZen, Francine offers compelling advice. “It is cost-effective; it is a full package. If you are looking for a full package, if you want to be able to say, ‘No matter what’s going on for the next week, or month, or year, I can go in and see where my stats are, what I’m selling,’ It’s a complete package, from taking care of the customer at the front end, all the way through your invoicing, and your sales journals at the end. I think it’s a great package. We love it.”
For catering businesses looking to replicate Slap's BBQ's success, take the software for a spin by signing up for a 30-day free trial or a "non-demo demo", or if you're a current CaterZen client and want to explore how you can better leverage CaterZen, schedule a personalized quick-start training session.
Discover more about how CaterZen is reshaping the catering industry by checking out client testimonials and case studies, offering direct insights from those who've seen their businesses flourish with CaterZen.
