While customer service is intangible, it’s the cornerstone of every successful restaurant. Customer service can be understood in many different aspects but it is usually understood as the diner’s experience and his/her treatment from restaurant staff, not the more physical elements like food or decor.

Customer service is important because every restaurant owner knows there’s stiff competition in the industry and that if customers don’t get the best from you, they will go elsewhere. In this blog, we look at a few strategies for focusing on customer service.

Tailored service

Restaurant profitability is closely related to customer needs. It’s about anticipating them, satisfying them and keeping customers coming back for more. Every restaurant activity must centre around customer satisfaction. This comes down to understanding what customers want and ensuring that they not only have their needs met, but are happy to come back for more and to even recommend your establishment to friends.

Communications

Another important element of customer satisfaction is communications. To satisfy your customers’ needs, you must have a clear understanding of their needs – not just what you think they might be. This means taking the time to talk to customers and asking if their experience measured up and if not, how it could be improved. Consider compiling customer service surveys to ease the process of getting this information.

Knowledge

Ensuring that you deliver customer satisfaction requires getting to know customers and their expectations. For customers, satisfaction doesn’t only come from the restaurant experience, there are elements centred around customers that include their social status and culture, their personal value systems and moods. Being sensitive to these issues and being armed with a knowledge of the different offerings required is essential for good customer service. A good knowledge of customers and a friendly attitude will go a long way.

Customer engagement

Customers like to feel special. This can mean remembering a customer’s name or favourite meal. This will help to make regular customers feel wanted and appreciated. Of course, it also means attentiveness, anticipating customer needs, and clearing tables as soon as possible after patrons have finished eating.

Quality of service can set you apart in a highly competitive market. Most customers will tell you that this is one of the most important aspects of their experience. Better customer service means that patrons will return, tell friends about their experience and post about it on social media. Ultimately, good customer service means a more successful restaurant.

Find out more about how a point of sale device can enhance the restaurant experience. Download our e-book A guide to modern day point of sale.

Author : Rudi Badenhorst

SHARE