3+1 tips for great customer service
In the hospitality industry, customer satisfaction – which can be converted to customer loyalty – has to do with the ‘product itself as well as with the customer service. When visiting a restaurant or a café, customers have some pre-existing expectations and standards, that the management and employees have the responsibility to fulfil if they want to offer a positive experience. A good and professional customer service leaves a positive impression, thus making it easier to offer an excellent experience and retain your customers. Below you will find 3+1 tips that contribute to a great customer service:
1. Hiring and Training
Employees are the face of your business; therefore, it is very important to hire the right people who share the same values and vision with your business. Employees are the ones that interact and engage with your customers, so they need to have high levels of professionalism, skills and the right attitude. Once you have the right people in place, ensure that everyone undergoes the required training and offer them the right tools to provide the best customer service possible. Make sure that everyone is aware of the expectations and the specifics on how to deliver first-class customer service.
2. Effective Communication
Effective and consistent communication between staff members is vital for a business. Apart from the regular staff meetings that should be in place so that everyone will be able to express thoughts and communicate challenges, the effective communication during working hours can make or break your business. More specifically, to ensure timely service, there should be good communication between the wait staff and the kitchen with clear responsibilities and tasks for each staff member. However, good coordination is sometimes very challenging, especially if your space is big and there is a physical distance between the wait staff, the kitchen and the bar. Tools such as the Staff Paging System, can ensure direct and fact communication and better service without any delays, making your customers happy!
3. Utilize technology
When it comes to creating a great customer service, technology plays a significant role as latest advancements offer a lot of opportunities to streamline operations and work more efficiently and profitably. Good service without long wait times will also contribute to an overall positive impression of an excellent experience. From free wi-fi, to software solutions and paging systems, technology offers you the right tools to achieve your goals. More specifically, while POS (point of sale) systems are widely used for a long time now in the hospitality and retail industry, their features are getting even more customizable and sophisticated. The staff can easily add the order easily and efficiently via the touch sales screen and then the order immediately routes to the kitchen/prep station. This solution also enables full control and monitoring of the customer database, creation of custom rewards as well as valuable stats. Additionally, paging systems contribute to the elimination of wait times – something that often makes customers feel frustrated. Therefore, if the type and look-and-feel of your business allows it, Push for Service Paging Systems and Self Service Paging Systems will not only enhance your customer service and improve your response time, but they will also help your business maintain a high level of productivity and increase sales.
4. Customer Feedback
Show to your customers that their opinion matters by making a brief stop at their table to ask for their comments and feedback. That way, not only you will make them feel that every grievance they may have faced will be resolved, but you will also have the opportunity to identify gaps or weaknesses in your service that you did not know they existed. This valuable feedback will help you evaluate and improve your customer service.
For customers, going out is not just to grab a coffee or to eat – it is an experience. Therefore, apart from having a good ‘product’ you should also invest time in customer service as it is becoming more and more important and the competition in the hospitality industry is constantly rising!