In this week’s Stonegate Stories, we hear from Anand! He takes us through how he joined Stonegate’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management) team and his time working on the development of Stonegate’s exciting new innovation, MiXR.
Please tell us your name, your current role, and how long you have been with Stonegate Group.
Anand Devaiah, Senior CRM Manager, 2 years and 4 months.
Can you give us your definition of CRM?
I think there are 2 ways of looking at it.
Firstly, from a sales point of view, where you’re looking at how you grow, and nurture prospects and leads into customers. Secondly, the way we use it is from a marketing point of view, to understand the ways a customer connects across all touch points within our venues and how we engage, cultivate and drive more out of them.
Tell us a little bit about your journey and/or progression with Stonegate.
I joined Stonegate in 2021 after completing my Masters in Digital Marketing and off the back of Covid. Things were still up in the air on openings and closings and lockdowns, but part of the reason I joined was to launch a new CRM platform for the business. Over the year, we landed a huge digital project on time and within budget to allow the business to start becoming more personalised in its approach. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength, beating our year 1 target by 100% and have grown the team from 1 to 7.
While doing all this, I was also seconded onto a project to work on MiXR and launch that as the technical lead from a digital perspective. MiXR is an app that gives our team and guests a brand-new way to experience all of our 800+ pubs, bars, and venues in our managed business. It enables guests to explore and book all of our venues and to earn loyalty points every time they visit a Stonegate venue.
Find out more about MiXR here.
I’ve also recently been promoted to Senior CRM Manager.
Can you describe what the day-to-day looks like in your role?
Day to day is quite varied; a lot of my time is spent digging into the data of what our sends look like (such as email and SMS) and how they are affecting sales in sites. We also think about how we can optimise the customer-facing communications to drive more conversions into the funnel. My time is split between managing the CRM strategy for the business and working with the Heads of Marketing to align our strategy with theirs. Then we are also working on driving the MiXR strategy across digital as well.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
No day is the same, which I’m sure a lot of people say, but it really is so varied. CRM, for me, is the beating heart of a business. We can really connect with our guests in a more personalised way, and I’ve built a really great team that smashes it on a daily basis.
What kind of skills do you think you’ve learned while working at Stonegate?
I’ve learned how to project-manage effectively and manage my time better too.
What’s your favourite thing about working at Stonegate?
I think my favourite thing is the people. I’ve met so many great people along the way and learned so much from everyone around me.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying for a role with Stonegate?
Go for it! The people are great, and we own some fantastic sites and brands across the whole of the country.
Are you ready to begin your Stonegate journey? Check out our current vacancies now!