Outstanding Customer Service: The Exception or the Rule?
October 2008
by Nancy Caldarola, MBA, MA, RD, Consultant, Hospitality Management & Organization Development, Concept Associates, Inc.
You've heard it before: a great new program to help improve customer service in your operation. Well, no matter how many new programs are rolled out, there are still unhappy customers who leave our restaurants and never return. They tell their friends and co-workers. They tell their family. They tell everyone but you - the person who can fix the service problem.Well, why should we care if we lose a customer here or there? Because businesses need customers and every customer counts! And, every customer deserves our best during their dining experience in our restaurants, on the phone calling for directions and at the counter ordering and picking up their meal.
There is a variety of programs with titles like "Putting Customers First!" and "Customers are Everything!" Customer service training has been a focus for improvement since the early 1980s, and no matter how many programs or new ways to train staff were used, we ended up with the same result: a spectacular rise of guest focus for a couple of weeks, then a slow fizzle to prior levels of performance. All the excitement waned with the day-to-day pressures in a restaurant. What went wrong?
In Capturing Customer Hearts (2000), a book by Brian Clegg, four problems are noted as the barriers to customer service training success: consumer expectations, a checklist mentality, paying lip service and industry growth. If these areas are addressed, we may be able to overcome past mistakes and finally get to the heart of customer service that connects to our targeted guests.
Consumer expectations. Customers and their expectations are constantly evolving because of the media, the Internet and other information sources. Past service stars are now seen as service failures because they are stuck in paradigms that are no longer appropriate. Restaurateurs need to go beyond the old ways of customer service and establish true customer relationships. To begin, your employees must have a relationship with your brand, the managers and the company. Staff members should feel they are part of a special team, management cares about them, and they are respected and rewarded for the work they do. They must identify with the brand they are representing, be proud to create a memorable dining experience and ensure that every customer visit exceeds the customers' expectations.
Checklist mentality. Customer service needs to be tended to every day to keep up with the competition. It can run down as fast as a windup toy. Staff turnover, cost-cutting measures in training and other areas all hinder the service levels and guest attention. When you reward positive staff behaviors surrounding customer service, there is a measurable change in how your service staff treats guests.
Paying lip service. The worst cases of customer service failure involve lip service, yet it is the most common. Management tells the staff that they should provide better service. They write it into employee handbooks and training manuals. They may even make sure that trainers talk about it and show employees how to do it. But they don't see the need to change the culture of the organization. They can't let go and allow employees to do what's right for customers. They don't trust employees with any authority to change the way a menu item is served or handle a guest complaint without resorting to procedures and chains of authority. The result? Customers do not get good service; they get bureaucracy.
Industry growth. How many restaurants have opened in your immediate area since your restaurant has been in business? Probably too many to count on two hands, yet there will be more. Customers collect at new restaurants like lemmings to the sea. Customers are looking for an elusive set of expectations from the restaurants they frequent. However, since all of us are customers, too, we know that reality does not always meet expectation. This gap between expectations and reality is not entirely bad news. If you are prepared to handle customer service right, and you continue to empower your service staff, you can overtake customer expectations. Cease living in the past and do something about this gap - customer service remains a stunningly powerful opportunity for differentiation on the street.
WHAT BUSINESS ARE WE IN ANYWAY?
Jim Sullivan, a recognized expert trainer in the hospitality business, reminds his clients that "we are not in the food and beverage business serving people; we are in the people business serving food and beverages." It is time to step back and survey what's happening in your restaurant. All staff behaviors are the result of management oversight and reinforcement. If you like what you see - great! You get the staff performance that you cultivate, encourage and reward.
This vision of outstanding service can be integrated into any operation by focusing consistently on four areas: communication, empowerment, feedback and recovery. As managers and owners, you must dedicate your organization's human resources to customer satisfaction - be in the people business!
Communication. The entire restaurant team must continually recognize and fully meet the needs of every customer through constant solicitation at every level of the organization. The staff must connect with customers on an emotional level to be able to determine, meet and exceed customer expectations. Only then can your staff correctly anticipate customer needs. As Jim Sullivan states, "Outstanding service means never having to ask for anything. Every staff member needs to obsess about the little things each customer values."
For managers, remember that outstanding service doesn't just happen - it must be managed, measured, rewarded and celebrated. Make meaningful dining room rounds, no matter the venue, and make sure your staff is getting every service detail right for the customer's dining experience.
Empowerment. Clearly and convincingly build and sustain every employee's belief that they are enabled to do whatever it takes to exceed customer's expectations. Service staff should not need to get written approvals to do what's right for our customers. If you hire the right people, train them in your style of service, and encourage and support their growth in the job, then you must trust their judgment to make appropriate decisions to anticipate and serve customer expectations.
Famed local hotelier, Horst Shultz, tells how his Ritz-Carlton employees at all levels were empowered to ensure that every hotel guest need was satisfied. "I'd be delighted" is not just a meaningless phrase, but rather a way of life and the reason for every person's job. The culture at every hotel in the chain is people centered - employees and guests are all special and deserve attention and service without cumbersome rules or approval processes.
Feedback. Actively solicit every customer's impression of your ability to exceed his or her expectations. We're not talking just comment cards here. Managers should visit tables and talk to as many customers as possible. Servers should ask, "How am I doing with your dining experience tonight?" Most customers will tell you how they feel, and some will be more than glad if they have a chance to tell a manager about something not right about the dining experience. This is an excellent opportunity to head off a bad situation before the customer leaves the restaurant and tells friends and family about a lousy meal and service. We should be excited about any customer feedback we receive, both positive and negative. These comments are gifts for behavioral reinforcement as well as for needed improvement in the service process.
Managers should also ask employees if their performance and support have met the employee's expectations of the shift. We all need to know how we're doing. That's why some companies use mystery shop per services, Internet comment screens, comment cards and other information gathering tools.
Recovery. Remedy all customer needs, real or perceived, as urgently and fully as possible. Customers complain when they perceive that they have been slighted, either by the server, the kitchen or the managers. An angry customer can do real damage to your restaurant's image and reputation. If the service staff and managers are truly representing the brand, they must be empowered to correct any and all customer needs. Servers should not have to call in the manager on duty until she or he has exhausted all options to satisfy the customer. Not all customers want a free meal. Most customers come to eat because they want to have a nice meal featuring the foods they like served in a timely manner within an atmosphere that allows them to relax and enjoy the experience. When things go wrong, and they sometimes will, restaurant managers and employees must make things right for the customer. Training in recovery is critical in all operations, no matter the venue.
Is the vision of outstanding customer service possible or a pipe dream in your operation? The answer rests with managers and owners who must create an environment conducive to removing all barriers to customer satisfaction. As an industry, we have to do a better job of treating employees as we want them to treat our customers. ■
