Let's get the basics of Customer Service right - and watch Australian business boom!
A recent cafe experience made it glaringly obvious just how far as a business and service culture we have to go in Australia before we can complain about any external or economic factors outside of an SME's control. But there is hope!
I know I am not on my own when I express real concern about the viability of many a business purely based on their lack of customer service. Trent Leyshan, our sales and customer service contributing guru from BOOMSales! and I gripe and pontificate about it often.
We all experience that annoying void of ‘help’ when giving our hard earned over for products or services.
I like to call it the ‘Give a sh#t’ factor. You can almost instantly tell on walking into any business if the staff in there do indeed ‘Give a sh#t’.
I had a meeting at a cafe with table service last week which lasted about 2 hours. I was running about 5 mins late and the person I was meeting with asked if he could order his coffee, pay for mine as well, and they bring it out when I arrive.
The Answer = “No he will need to come to the counter to order when he gets here and get his own number.”
So stupid.
Not only was it such a poor start but in the cold winter sitting outside, we sat there for 2 hours, went through our first coffee in the first 5 mins, and the staff walked around us, past us, picked up the used cups, stacked deli shelves, talked to each other and so on, and so on…for two hours.
They did everything BUT ask us if we would like another coffee, or even order lunch, which we certainly would have.
We both talked on it and calculated that we spent $9 in total over 2 hours. We would have spent at the very least another $9 on two more coffees (more like 3), and at least another $50 combined on lunch.
That business had an extra $59 sitting on a table right in front of them inside their business and they didn’t even ask for it. There were about 8 other tables similar to ours…no doubt getting a similar service scenario.
Some numbers = 8 x $59 = $472 missed in those 2 hours. Multiply that by 4 across an 8-hour day = $1,888.
Across a week = $9,440, and a cross a year of weekdays, that equates to an astonishing $490,880 of lost opportunity sitting right in front of them.
They were not busy, they looked bored and were trying to look busy. Poor training, poor leadership, bad management.
So, so Stupid.
Then The Shining Light Appears!
BUT, my faith in our ability to meet the challenge was fully restored only this morning! I was having a meeting with someone who missed having breakfast and ordered it before I arrived. It came out during our meeting and he didn’t want to eat it while talking.
With the dish sitting getting cold on the table for about 15 mins, Claudene who aptly also has the words ‘Customer Service Star’ on her name tag was astonishingly observant given a pretty full café.
The conversation went like this;
Claudene: “Excuse me - Is your food ok, is there something wrong the dish you ordered?” (with much concern on her face)
Alf: “Ah, no it’s ok, I just haven’t got to it yet.”
Claudene: “Oh, ok I was worried something was wrong with it for your liking.”
Alf: “No it’s fine, I just haven’t got to eat it yet, I will soon.”
Claudene: (not giving up) “But it’s going really cold there, how about I grab it and go heat it up, as well as get it placed in the kitchen in a warm spot for you and you can tell me when you are ready to eat it?”
Alf: “No it’s ok I’ll eat cold.”
Claudene: “Oh no! Don’t do that, I can do this for you, I’ll get it heated. Back in one minute.”
That is customer GOLD.
So, instead of being silent for poor service – give constructive feedback.
When given great service – tell them (we told Claudene for sure).
If it’s a 50 / 50 – then YOU be a fantastic customer and see if you can have the server mirror your behaviour – I guarantee you that many will.
