For businesses in the hospitality sector - restaurants, pubs, bars and
other catering businesses - customer care is especially important.
These businesses are all about the customer's experience and making
improvements to customer care should be a constant
effort.
That's probably the first thing businesses should bear in mind
when thinking about customer care - the effort must be
on-going.
The art of improving customer care, or of making sure the
customer's experience is excellent at all times, is not a difficult
one to understand. Putting it into practice, however, does require
effort and the application of standards that are clearly
understood.
The secret, as almost all experts will agree, is to see and
experience a service from the customer's
perspective.
If you're running a business, it can be hard to see everything
from a customer's view because it's difficult to divorce yourself
from the reasons why there may be shortcomings; but the customer
isn't interested in reasons, just the quality of the experience.
This is a good reason to bring in outsiders and elicit frank
feedback.
Here, then, are some suggestions as to how any business, but
especially those in the hospitality sector, can engage with and
work on customer care.
Just as it's important to test the customer experience with a
critical eye by using independent testers, it's also important to
find out what customers think.
Getting feedback is important. But getting quality feedback -
that is finding out what people really think - is not easy. Many
customers may be reluctant to be brutally honest, especially about
small matters. Others may be overly fussy and offer criticism
that's unreasonable and unnecessary, finding faults where nearly
all other customers wouldn't. To find out what reasonable
people think, you probably need to get their feedback anonymously,
possibly through a feedback form a d a suggestion
box.
Some kind of mechanism for feedback is a good idea. This may be
in the form of a competition for great suggestions and feedback, or
another way could be to invite customers to come along to an
evening for the express purpose of commenting on service or dishes
or drinks. Getting the customer involved
is key.
Of course, it's also important to listen to customers less
formally. If they have something to say about the way the business
is being run, the quality of the service of the food, anything,
then really welcome it. It's an opportunity that should be taken
advantage of. If it's complimentary, that's great and helps to
suggest how to emphasise strong points; if it's negative feedback,
it gives you a chance to put things right. 'The customer is always
right' is still a valid maxim to apply.
That's fine for feedback. But the fundamental aspect of a great
customer experience, especially in the hospitality business, is the
quality of your staff.
It's vital to create a culture in which customer care - the
customer's experience - is central to everything that takes place
within the business. Set the bar high and insist on quality
service. Reward and praise behaviour and the attitude you want to
see and discourage that which you don't want. Attend to
detail because customers will.
Create an example for others to follow and make sure staff
understand that the quality of service they provide has a direct
impact on the business and, ultimately, on their job. Give staff
real incentives to do well - cash ones, if possible.
Ensure that everyone understands that they are customer facing
and must behave accordingly. In a restaurant, for example, kitchen
staff who don't serve the public may well need to come into contact
with customers now and again. When they do, insist that they
maintain the same standards as those staff who directly deal with
customers.
Have regular meetings, perhaps once a week, to discuss
improvements to and suggestions for customer service. Make these
meetings upbeat and make sure staff feel they are an important part
of the success of the business.
Make sure staff are aware of precisely what you expect from
them.
Lead by example - basically always behave in the way you want
your staff to.
Keep your staff happy - or at least root out any problems
that are causing friction, unease and so on. Unhappy staff simply
can't create happy customers, unless they are Oscar-level
actors.
Make sure staff know about the products they are selling -
whether it's a drink or a dish, they should be able to answer
reasonable questions. And, if they can't answer a question, then,
of course, they need to be able to offer to find out and do
so.
Never leave customers waiting. This means when whatever they
want, attend to them, whether they are at the bar to be served,
waiting to be seated or to settle a bill, or wanting to ask for a
service. If there is an unavoidable delay, explain quickly
and honestly - it's far better than trying to
stall.
Answer your phone promptly and enthusiastically. Sound helpful.
Never let a phone ring without being attended to. Make use of call
forwarding or voicemail, if you must, but get back to callers
promptly.
Be reliable. If you say you will do something for a
customer, however small, then make sure it's done. If you
promise a table by the window, or a replacement dish, for example,
then deliver.
If complaints arise, as they will always do from time to time,
treat them as feedback for future improvements, sure, but also deal
with the substance of the complaint there and then. Don't delay:
tackle the problem and try and resolve it head on. Customers will
generally respect you for your sympathy and your efforts to resolve
the matter.
These are simple ideas, but unfailingly executed they're also
powerful ones. The golden rule, though, is never stop looking at
the service you provide from the customer's point of
view.
Premierline Direct offers retail and shop insurance carefully tailored to
suit the specific needs of your business, as well as comprehensive
restaurant insurance solutions
which can be tailored to suit your business.
