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8 Benefits of integrating hospitality POS with CRM

If you run a hospitality business, you know how hard it is to keep track of your guests' preferences, orders and loyalty, especially when that information is split between different systems. You're busy enough without spending hours digging through spreadsheets or guessing what promotions actually bring customers back. A solution to this problem? Integrated POS and a hospitality CRM for managing operations and customer relationships from a single place, meaning easier decision-making, less admin stress and ultimately, a more profitable restaurant. 

At Access, our speciality is hospitality software built around fully connected technology, and we’ve supported thousands of UK hospitality businesses of all sizes by seamlessly integrating CRM and POS systems.  

In this article, we'll explain how POS and CRM integration works, why it matters for your hospitality business and how it can solve the operational headaches you deal with daily - from disconnected guest data and inefficient marketing to missed upselling opportunities. Plus, if you're currently debating whether to join those two together, we'll guide you through the process of selecting the right solution for your hospitality business. 

Posted 25/04/2025

8 Benefits of integrating hospitality POS with CRM

What is CRM and POS integration and why is it important? 

Integrating your CRM and POS creates a unified platform that enables seamless, real-time data flow, eliminating disconnected systems and manual updates to customer records. When a guest dines in, their purchase history, preferences and loyalty status update automatically across both platforms, so: 

Staff can instantly access past orders, making it easy to recommend a guest’s favourite dish or suggest a well-paired drink. 

You (or whoever handles promotions) can send targeted offers like a discount on a guest’s go-to appetiser or a birthday reward, at just the right time. 

Managers or owners can track guest engagement, spot trends and identify high-value customers without digging through spreadsheets.

But it's not just about improving customer interactions, as this integration also helps behind the scenes - reducing admin work, cutting down on errors and ensuring your sales and inventory data are always accurate.

How does a POS and CRM integration work? 

To integrate a POS and a CRM, you need to connect the workflows - it is typically done through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), webhooks or middleware platforms, which allow real-time data sharing. This means your POS and CRM can instantly exchange important information, like transaction histories, customer profiles, loyalty activity, purchase preferences and stock levels. Integrating these two systems has its own challenges, (which we cover below) but they are often less complicated than they sound, especially if you already have (or plan to invest in) a modern POS system. 

8 benefits of the POS and CRM integration for hospitality 

POS and CRM are often at the heart of a hospitality business, so when integrating, you can combine their strengths for even better results. 

1. A complete view of your customers 

Stop guessing what your guests want and instead, understand them better. Integrated POS and CRM systems mean you’ll instantly know their favourite dishes, past orders and dining habits - whether ordering online or dining in, leading to fewer mistakes and more personalised service - and as our latest loyalty survey revealed, personalised service matters to 73% of customers. 

2. Personalised guest experiences 

Having a holistic view of customers thanks to the data from two powerful sources, you'll be able to create campaigns and promotions that resonate. Whether it’s automatically sending a tailored birthday reward, suggesting the perfect drink pairing based on past favourites or creating personalised campaigns matched with customers' expectations, you'll boost repeat visits, encourage higher spending and turn casual diners into regulars. 

3. Stronger loyalty programs  

No more generic promotions - integrating data from two sources will also help you strengthen your loyalty offerings. You’ll know exactly who your regulars are, what they prefer and how to encourage them to return. With 62% of guests saying loyalty programs at their favourite venues influence whether they revisit, CRM and POS integration equips you with the precise insights you need to motivate repeat visits. 

4 .Operational efficiency  

Your staff didn’t get into hospitality to spend hours updating customer records or manually syncing data. With customer profiles updated instantly across systems thanks to the integration, your staff will be free to focus on service instead of admin tasks. 

5. Real-time inventory management  

With your sales data linked with inventory, you'll know exactly what's selling and when and gain a real-time view of your stock, avoiding shortages or waste. 

6. Better marketing ROI

Seeing what’s working (and what’s not) means you can stop spending on promotions that don’t bring in bookings and instead invest in the offers, discounts and campaigns that actually fill tables and drive repeat visits.

7. Increased revenue 

With real-time data on customer preferences and past orders, you'll be able to spot upsell and cross-sell opportunities, whether that’s a suggested specific drink pairing or a premium dish upgrade. By offering premium options, you'll also enhance your brand perception and from the customer's point of view, you'll actually make their experience better by suggesting the best item or pairing on your menu.

8. Reduced wait times 

POC CRM integration means no delays or miscommunications between servers and the kitchen - orders flow seamlessly, and digital payment and loyalty integrations speed up checkouts. This helps turn tables faster, reduces frustration and ensures guests get a better overall experience. 

Key challenges of POS and CRM integration and how to avoid them 

Integrating CRM and POS can present several challenges for businesses, some of which include:  

  • Compatibility issues: Not all CRM and POS systems are compatible - different vendors, workflows or data formats can make the integration complex and might require time and cost-consuming customisation.  
  • Data migration complexity: Transferring data from older or legacy systems can be challenging and time-consuming with formatting differences, missing or outdated records or large volumes of historical data slowing down the process. 
  • Integration costs: This integration can come with a significant cost, especially if your business requires extensive customisation or system upgrades. There are also potential costs for staff training, ongoing support and data security measures. 
  • Staff training: As with any new software, employees will need time to get familiar with the new integrated system, especially if they’re used to manual processes or older software. 
  • Data security: Integrating POS and CRM systems means handling sensitive customer and payment data across multiple platforms, making security a top priority. Strong encryption, secure access controls and compliance with data protection regulations (like GDPR) are essential to prevent breaches and so is working with a trusted software provider that'll help keep your business and customer information safe. 

How to choose the right POS and CRM for your business 

There’s no one right answer when it comes to the best hospitality POS and CRM system, the best system will be the one that aligns with your business needs and budget.  

Start by considering: 

  • Your specific needs: Do you want to reduce wait times, streamline loyalty programs or improve targeted marketing? Identify your priorities so you can choose a system that truly supports your goals. 
  • Seamless integration: Not all systems work well together. Look for POS and CRM that integrate smoothly, eliminating the need for complex workarounds or manual data entry. 
  • Ease of use: A system with an intuitive interface means your staff can pick it up quickly, reducing training time and avoiding service slowdowns. 
  • Support and reliability: Ensure your provider offers responsive support to keep everything running smoothly and avoid any disruptive downtimes.  
  • Cost vs. ROI: While upfront costs are important, think long-term. A system that improves efficiency, increases upsells and retains customers will quickly pay for itself.

For a deeper dive into finding the best POS and CRM solutions for hospitality businesses in the UK, check out our expert guides: 

Best EPoS systems for restaurants in the UK | Access Hospitality 

Guide to the Best EPoS Systems for Pubs and Bars 

What is the Best CRM Software for Restaurants? 

How Access makes POS and CRM integration simple 

At Access Hospitality, our EPoS and Acteol CRM solutions are designed specifically for restaurants, ensuring a smooth, stress-free integration that helps you maximise revenue and improve customer experiences. 

  • Seamless integration - Our POS and CRM are designed to work together from day one, using real-time APIs and webhooks to keep your systems in sync and where real-time isn't possible, we also support CSV-based integration. Most integrations are handled as part of onboarding, so for new systems, there’s typically no downtime.  
  • Comprehensive customer data sharing - Access EPoS shares a wide range of data with our CRM, including transaction history, order preferences, loyalty activity and even direct and indirect spend. This enables precise customer segmentation and ROI tracking, allowing you to associate every pound spent with individual customer profiles, including historical data. 
  • Loyalty and marketing automation - From personalised offers to tailored campaigns, you can automate engagement without lifting a finger. Our tools use customer preferences and spend behaviour to segment audiences and drive higher return visits. 
  • Minimum disruption - Depending on whether your setup is new or existing, integration can take from as little as one day to a more phased approach over several weeks. Either way, our experts ensure minimal disruption to your operations and provide full support throughout. 
  • Voucher and offer redemption - Voucher codes and offers can be setup on Acteol  and then validated and redeemed from EPoS.  
  • User first design and expert support - Designed for hospitality teams, our software is intuitive, requiring minimal training and enabling staff to stay focused on delivering great service. And with our dedicated support team on hand, you’ll never be left to troubleshoot alone. 

In addition, we partner with the biggest names in the hospitality industry to offer the most comprehensive range of integrations for our customers. Access EPoS seamlessly integrates and interfaces with all major card, contactless and mobile payment solutions as well as loyalty schemes, online shopping, order ahead and reservation solutions.   

Ready to effortlessly integrate your POS with CRM? 

In this article, we’ve explored how integrating your POS and CRM can streamline operations, enhance customer experiences and boost revenue. From reducing manual admin work to creating personalised marketing campaigns and improving service efficiency, the benefits of bringing the two systems together are clear. However, there are some potential challenges to consider, so our advice would be to carefully select the software provider and discuss all the factors - a reliable vendor will be able to assure you of how they can support you.   

If you are ready to learn more about how we can apply our 30+ years of experience to help you seamlessly integrate POS with CRM, get in touch with our team today.  

 

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