How to deliver superior customer service
Today, every business should consider itself to be part of the hospitality industry. Whether you're in a retail business, a service business or a manufacturing business, how you treat your customers will impact revenues, referrals and customer retention.
For restaurants, a superior dining experience can transform a visitor into a lifetime guest. Once you've experienced bad service, though, you may never return. As Maya Angelou said, “People may forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
So how can your business deliver superior customer service?
Hire carefully. At Worcester Restaurant Group, we look for people who buy into our mission of “Feeding and Exceeding Expectations.” We want smart, friendly, passionate team players.
Train extensively. If asked to provide three ways to deliver superior customer service, we would answer: training, training and training. Everyone, from staff who bus tables to managers, requires ongoing training. While training is important, the best way to improve is by doing the job and being observed. As managers observe staff, they are encouraged to teach by asking questions, rather than lecturing.
Act positively. A culture of yes typically succeeds. A culture of no does not. Take your family to Walt Disney World, and you'll never see Mickey Mouse in a bad mood, because employees are trained to respond positively to customers. Your employees may not suit up, but when it's showtime — when they're with customers — they need to be ready to perform. They need to be prepared and focused, ready to earn the loyalty of customers.
Address problems immediately. No matter how well trained and how positive your staff is, not every customer is going to be satisfied. Even well-trained staff make mistakes; and some customers are more difficult to please than others. The goal should be to address the customer's concern and make the overall experience positive. The more quickly the problem is addressed, the better.
Staff should listen closely without interrupting while the customer explains the problem. They should acknowledge the mistake, apologize and offer an appropriate solution. They should embrace the long-term opportunity: developing a loyal, happy customer.
Use technology appropriately. When a customer returns to one of our restaurants, our computer reservation system helps us remember important things, like seating preferences and favorite foods. It's a nice tool that complements good, old-fashion etiquette, like remembering names.
Human contact is also important, so we assign a team of two servers to each table. If one becomes busy, someone is still available to provide timely service. Our managers are also on hand to observe, advise and assist.
People have many choices in where they dine, where they buy their next car and where they get their hair cut. Keep in mind that you are always competing; superior customer service will help you compete successfully.
Madeleine Ahlquist is co-owner with her husband Robb of Worcester Restaurant Group, which includes The Sole Proprietor, 111 Chop House and VIA.
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