Insights to Improve Your Customer Service

This sweet little jewel appeared in the inbox today and is
worthy of the pass along. Pay attention FSJ!

Source: www.restaurantowner.com

One of our members reported their restaurant was
having a much better year this year than last both
in terms of sales volume and profitability. Quite an
accomplishment in this recession to say the least.

She credited "guest relations and customer service"
as the primary reason for their success and want on to
say "People don't have to go out to eat, so when they do,
we make sure we exceed their expectations in every way."

Curious, we asked her specifically what she was doing in
the restaurant to get her staff to do this.

Here's what she said -

" We train the staff daily by having pre-shift meetings
before lunch and dinner shifts."

"At these meetings we focus on customer service in every
possible form, from making sure there's no trash on the
floor, to smiling, to looking the guest in the eye when
we take orders, to outstanding acts of kindness...."

"I go over everything, and I think by doing this on a
daily basis it gives the servers, runners, bus staff
and hosts the confidenceto know how to handle every
situation."

"I constantly tell them to treat the guest the way you
would want someone to treat their mom...no one ever wants
someone to be mean to their mom...."

"Honestly, I think it's just the positive reinforcement
they get from management, and also the fact they know
they can come to me or my assistants with any problem
and it will be handled calmly and professionally."

"We went from doing 40-50 lunches on a sunny beach
day last year to 170-325 lunches this year, and we've
hit the over 700 mark with our dinners...amazing numbers
we are so proud !!"

Want to improve your sales and profitability? One
way might be to raise your level of customer service.
Take it from someone who has done it and incorporate
the above practices into your daily routine. 

Earning a reputation for having the best customer
service in town could be the most effective way to
succeed in these recessionary times.