With building economic pressures, these days people are much more discerning about where they spend their money. Great news for bank balances … bad news for retailers.
With a lot of people scaling back their lifestyles and spending less on dining out, we need to start thinking: when a customer does walk into your café, what are they really buying from you?
Often the intangible services are just as valuable to your customer as their actual purchase. Let’s focus on one of the most talked about and important intangible services: customer service.
You’ve probably read a million articles trying to define the ‘rules’ of great customer service. This article is about how you can create an environment where customer service thrives.
Your customer service should be defined by circumstance, not by rules. Find a way to relate to your customer, rather than having ‘standard’ responses to situations. The customer is not just a transaction; they are your guest. If you must say no to a customer, make a suggestion of what you can do instead.
Exceeding expectations means doing the unexpected. Customer service is not just about delivering what you say you would and fixing mistakes; great customer service is that next step – surprising and delighting the customer.
Customers are happy when they get what they expect, but they’re won over when they get even more than what they expect.
Be interesting: customers regard employees as a product, and they expect the same level of quality from them as the goods they are delivering. Demonstrate an interest in customers’ opinions and feedback, relate to and engage with them in a genuine way.
Add depth to the customer experience by sharing your passion and knowledge for your job/product with them. Encourage their interest in your product and take the time to really listen and answer their questions. And most important of all: be modest, be honest, and don’t make promises you can’t deliver. When you go above and beyond for a customer, don’t call attention to it – the action will call attention to itself.
Customers are often lost due to the impression that their business isn’t important. Today’s customers long to be heard, understood and valued by the businesses they frequent – show them you care!
Customer service should be a natural extension of the customer experience. It should not feel contrived or regulated, but should be something you and your staff are passionate about without incentive or instruction.
That’s why our industry is called ‘hospitality’.
