How to provide service that delights
Companies are constantly introducing new initiatives to deliver outstanding customer service. Standards are increasing all the time and in some cases what used to be excellent is now merely the norm and is therefore expected by customers. Businesses are now moving to the next level and are looking to delight their customers by providing them with the unexpected without being asked to do so.
If you're stuck for ideas on how to delight your guests, try going back to basics. Here are five simple yet effective suggestions. They might sound familiar, but they do work.
1. Creating a friendly place
People have a need to belong, and if you can create a friendly and open environment you will be offering an invitation for people to enjoy and relish your hospitality. When you meet people with great customer service skills is it because they have they attended lots of workshops and courses or are they just nice, friendly people? How can you make your restaurant, hotel, pub or club a welcoming place? Ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you recruiting for attitude or just for competence?
- Do you send new employees on an induction course to allow them to fully adapt and enter into the spirit of things?
- Do you have company mottos or values for your employees that say what you are about and what you are aiming to create?
- Are your people working in an effective and encouraging environment?
- Do your staff receive support from the management?
Giving a helping hand
While 80% of customers enter your premises knowing what they want, only 40% leave having experienced it. Why is this? In most cases it's because what they wanted isn't available; in others it is available, but wasn't offered, either as a result of poor display or because the staff didn't promote it. Customers need help in making choices and this is an area where your staff can step in.
Having a good attitude
Think about your attitude and not just the team's. You are a role model, a leader and hopefully, an inspiration. Studies have shown that the mood your team goes home with is directly linked to the mood you are in when you arrive at work. What a responsibility you have! If your team see you struggling to cope with work and even home pressures, they will believe that it is all right for them to do the same. So try your best to perk up and your staff will follow suit.
Making a good first impression
You have just 30 seconds to make a good impression. Customers' reactions to a grumpy face could ruin your day in the same way that a smiley one could make it. Make those first few seconds count. Get your staff to smile, make eye contact, acknowledge the customer, stand tall and look as if they really want to be there.
Tailoring treatment
In customer care training, people are advised to match and mirror a client. For example, if the customer signals that he is in a hurry, you should work fast and be purposeful. The main problem in dealing with customers is that the whole interaction becomes a procedure that has a set of clearly defined steps. In a restaurant, for example, the procedure can be a welcome, followed by showing people to a table, then giving them the menu, taking orders, presenting the bill, taking the payment and finally saying thank you and goodbye. This doesn't take into account the fact that the customer is an individual who might want alternatives. Look at what you can do to improve the situation. The more individually you treat the situation, the more likely the individual is to return.
Produced by Caterer-online in association with learnpurple
