Meanwhile, Back on the Customer Service Hobby Horse

Posted by on Aug 25, 2011 in customer service | 6 comments

 

Hello restaurant owners.  Look at your business.  Now back to me.   Now back at your business.  Now back to me.

Sadly, a professional is not running your restaurant.    But, if you started doing the following things, it could look like it.

Look down, now back up.  Where are you?  You’re in the lobby, with the woman your business could feed.

What’s in your hand.  Back at me.  I have it!  It’s a blog post with a list of things customers love.

Look again.  The list is now cash.

Anything is possible when your business does what the customer wants.

I’m on a hobby-horse.

Fix the coffee machine

Don’t tell me the coffee machine’s broken.  I.  Don’t.  Care.  Fix it.

Have the manager ring me

I’m trying to organise a room booking, with catering.  Suggest that you will take my details and have the manager ring me.  Don’t make me squeeze it out of you!

Clean the joint

My house/car/dog’s den is cleaner that your mangy little establishment.  I will never again darken its door.  Think!

Would you eat there?  Cleanliness is next to profitableness.

Employ enough staff

I’ve been recently told by a supplier that they’d have to bring in more staff to deal with my booking.  This is correct.

Doing something out of the ordinary normally requires effort.  (This particular discussion involved a frustrating chat over whether someone was willing to open a little earlier than normal.  The income, from previous meetings was £100 for half an hour’s work, plus double that on top, if people stayed to order more.  The person would cost £8 to bring in for that half hour.)

Conduct a brief cost-benefit analysis, before you turn down regular income.

Learn what a croissant is

I’m standing in a hotel.  You do 5-course meals.  You do luxury accommodation.  You do conferences and weddings.

I’m only asking for a miserly accompaniment to my cup of tea. (Second thoughts, I’m off down the road to a larger, national chain.   Are you worried!?  Nah.)

Take responsibility

If something is wrong, I suggest that you pick up that sword of responsibility and wield it to crush my problem.

A nice Earl Grey and brownie will suffice – while I wait.

Behaviour That Leaves Money on the Table

  • Ignoring me as I stand at the door, waiting to be served.  This tells me that my custom is not wanted, and my time is less important than yours.  My internal 50 second buzzer is ticking…
  • Supplying double the amount to make up for its awfulness.  Second prize, one pathetic, shop-bought scone, with squirty cream.  (Incidentally, they were lifted from the uncovered basket with bare hands.  The milk jug wasn’t clean either…)  First prize, two pathetic, shop-bought… (you get the drift)
  • Responding to my complaint, without apologising.  This tells me you’ve acknowledged receipt of my complaint, but you’re not embarrassed by the fallout.  Make contact, apologise, and offer a refund.

We’ve blogged about Northern Ireland customer service on many occasions.  As a service provider, what are you doing to make things better?  We’d love to hear how you turned your business around, by implementing some simple customer service principles.

Places Worth a Second Visit

  • TGI Fridays – table attendants introduce themselves before serving you with an American-style cheerfulness
  • The Parlour Bar – the staff were impressively welcoming, offering a tour and discussion for catering options
  • The Galley Cafe – the food is tasty and well-presented, uniquely situated

Read additional reviews with customer service comments.

If you own a customer-facing food business, and you want to increase sales, via a tailored Customer Experience Management programme, get in touch.

Image credit: kankan.

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  • http://photosworldwide.wordpress.com Paul Beattie

    Oh dear. It’s late. I have to do this. I spent three years in a notable, but now long gone, eaterie on the North Coast. Here’s what I learned, which I hope readers from a catering/service background will note:

    There is always something do. Do not stand around when it is quiet and when people are starting to trickle in. Clean if you have to, even if it’s just wiping down the bar. At least it signifies “busy”. And “clean”.

    Staff: don’t chew gum. Just don’t.

    Smile. For the love of God, please smile. Look engaged, even if you’re doing the job to top up your vast student loan.

    Say please and thank you. It’s the least you can do when people these days view a meal out as a treat. They’re paying your wage with their wage. Be grateful.

    And finally, if you need a sneaky smoke, please wash your hands afterwards. They didn’t ban smoking in kitchens because of the ash…it’s the cleanest thing there…it’s because of the transfer of bacteria from your mouth, to your hands, and subsequently to my plate. Ta for that. And yes, even smokers – like me – know you’ve been smoking.

    Restaurant owners: I realise you have to hire teenagers and students. They’re the only people who will take the sucky wages that some of you pay, even in hard times.

    So do yourself a favour. If you’re not going to pay decent wages, and take in professional waiting staff, take some of that spare dosh and train them up. The stuff I learned 20 years ago, still stands good today.

  • Wendy S. Smith

    Another important point: Teach your employees to smile and not look to that they have the most boring job in the world. Also, let they greet customers first, it is pretty basic but I have often experienced that employees behave like that they do not see the customers!

    W.
    Wendy S. Smith recently posted..What Makes the Beat Making Software a Special One?

  • http://www.sensei-winbeforehand.co.uk Dawn Baird, Partner

    It seems that the smile is the common denominator. But, for all these useful tips, how much is the fault of the owner who either doesn’t train staff, or doesn’t conduct quality control on the customer experience? Or is it the fault of the individual member of staff, to retain a professional level of service, regardless of training. I agree, that, perhaps due to salary expectations, many do not consider serving tables a career choice, and therefore it attracts younger and (mostly) temporary staff, which does not lend itself to consistently good service.
    Dawn Baird, Partner recently posted..PowerPoint, Politics and Profit

  • rox

    i believe that to be able to become a good manager, one must learn how to balance things in life.. and i would encourage each and every one, both the employees and their employer to build up a good relationship with one another to avoid any disagreements

  • laura

    Good point!!! Its a good example on how to train your employees…

  • Mark

    To make things better I believe on conducting a week training on quality customer service to future and current employees. I learned that most huge corporations acquired success since they focused on providing customer satisfaction.