★KECBKeep ’Em Coming Back
Books · Volume 6: Last Call
← Volume 6: Last Call
Volume 6: Last Call · Contents
Appendix I

Free and Low-Cost Tool Guide

What to look for, by job, without relying on plan limits that change.

Tools change names, prices, and free limits often, so this guide describes the job each tool does and what to check, not what any plan includes today. Before you adopt anything, read its current pricing and its terms about who owns your data. The test from Chapter 22 applies to tools too: what decision does it help you make?

TOOLS BY JOB

  • Count and log. What to use: Paper tally cards and a notebook; any spreadsheet program, including free online ones. What to check: Can you export your data? Is the file yours if you stop paying?
  • Collect sign-ups and cards. What to use: Paper cards at the door; a free online form tool. What to check: Does the form say what you will send? Who can see the responses?
  • Email list. What to use: An email platform with a free or low tier. What to check: Does it handle unsubscribes and your address automatically? Can you export the list? Don’t rely on open rates (Ch 21).
  • Text messages. What to use: Do not start without consent records and legal advice. What to check: Check Chapter 35 and Appendix J first. Registration and consent rules may apply.
  • Be found on maps and search. What to use: Your free business profile on the main map service; your own simple website. What to check: Is your name, address, phone, and hours right? Does the profile show a performance page you can read?
  • Schedule posts. What to use: The scheduling tools built into most platforms, or a low-cost scheduler. What to check: Does scheduling reduce your reach on that platform? Are you still replying to people?
  • QR codes and links. What to use: A free code generator that lets you point directly at your own page. What to check: Will the code stop working if a trial ends? Test it from a phone before you print.
  • Photos and video. What to use: Your phone camera; a free photo editor; a simple video editor. What to check: Do you have consent from people in the picture? Do you own the music?
  • Design. What to use: Free design templates for posters and cards. What to check: Are you allowed to use the template and fonts commercially? Does it match Chapter 9?
  • Reviews and comments. What to use: The platforms themselves; a shared sheet to tally tone and topic. What to check: Don’t buy or write reviews. See Chapter 18 and Chapter 35.
  • Money. What to use: Your point-of-sale reports and a bookkeeper’s help. What to check: Can you get sales and cost of goods by night? Ask your CPA how to calculate margin.
  • Team notes. What to use: A shared notes app or paper board for the debrief. What to check: Who can see it? Does it contain guest details?

BEFORE YOU ADOPT ANY TOOL

1. Name the job and the decision it supports. 2. Try it for a month alongside paper. 3. Check export and ownership: can you take your data and leave? 4. Read how it handles guests’ information, and what it asks them to agree to. 5. Add up the real cost, including your hours. 6. Put it on the quarterly keep, fix, or kill review (Chapter 34). 7. Have one person responsible for it.