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Challenges and objectives of email usage

While Toptable was already utilising an established industry solution for delivering and tracking its email 

campaigns, expert input was required to help achieve its aggressive CRM sales targets.

The existing CRM programme consisted of two weekly email sends that contained minimal segmenta‑

tion and tailoring of content. As a result, in some cases open rates had fallen to as low as 10% and all the 

signs pointed to list fatigue as users lost interest in the communications.

Toptable chose to partner with Emailcenter in August 2007 to help them develop an  industry‑  leading 

CRM programme and to move the communications strategy away from a mass broadcast model.

Key objectives included:

● 

Increase the frequency of bookings from regular customers

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Reactivate defected customers

● 

Encourage those users who had yet to make a booking to do so.

Toptable uses CRM and email to engage customers online

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Chapter 9  Customer relationship management

Emailcenter put a plan in place around their ROAD methodology to achieve these goals and continues to work 

closely with Toptable to project manage their entire CRM programme. ROAD is a model developed by Emailcenter 

that covers the four key areas that need to be addressed for a successful email marketing programme: