The in-house, Web-based application will replace disparate manual systems which used Tracker and Excel spreadsheets that didn't synchronize between sites or properly record data.

Cliftons general manager Matthew Longmore said the company, which employs 110 staff, needed the CRM to manage inbound room booking requests, outbound customer information calls and online and office direct marketing campaigns.

"Valuable customer information was left in the hands of individual staff and walked out the door each day; if someone was away the following day, we needed to be able to step in and take care of their appointments and maintaining relationship continuity," Longmore said.

"We use electronic marketing and direct mail-outs of up to 8000 pieces every two months; it would easily take six or seven hours to compare different database versions to generate a campaign list because of data duplication and a lack of synchronization."

"The booking confirmation system was manual and labor-intensive, because there was no contact history [so] staff had to retype the contact name and booking details each time. If a confirmation had to be resent, it had to be recreated and there was no way to ensure the confirmation had been received."