Customer-Service Stupidity

It never ceases to amaze me how foodservice outlets miss opportunities–through stupidity or malice–to really connect with a customer to build their business in what is a pretty damn competitive industry with a clientele that is as fickle as the weather.

A couple of cases-in-point: I overheard at a coffee shop recently–a brand new coffee shop in a downtown core that is bursting at the seams with coffee shops–a new customer ask about getting a blend of coffee and hot chocolate. Having never visited the shop before, the customer wasn’t sure about the way to order or how the shop does the beverage. Behind the counter–and this was no less than the owner I should point out–was a total bollocksing of the chance to win this guy over.

Instead, the owner hems and haws, dithers and yithers and can’t figure out how to handle the request. Among the waffling and indecisiveness, the shopkeeper says, “We use really expensive chocolate, so I wouldn’t know how to charge you.”

By this time, my head is ready to explode: ask the customer what friggin’ strength he wants the drink and mix up the bloody thing! And here’s what I would do: comp him and say, “Please-accept-this-as-a-complimentary-thank-you-for-visiting-my-new-and-struggling-coffee-shop-located-in-a-downtown-core-bursting-at-the-seams-with-coffee-shops-and-please-come-back-again!!”

And, of course, do it all with a giant, warm smile!

In reality, what happened was that I saw the customer turn, shaking his head, and walk out a bit pissed off. HE WILL NEVER COME BACK!

Another example I recently witnessed, at yet another coffee shop: the customer ordered a box of cookies. There were two people behind the counter, a young counterstaff member and some sort of manager or owner. As the cookies were boxed, the younger staffer asked the senior staffer, quite honestly and legitimately, if the customer got some sort of deal for the bulk purchase and not $1.25 for each of the 12 cookies.

The senior staffer looked puzzled and didn’t really know what to make of the question (a very good question, by the way). The senior staffer then blurted out: “No, we give them this nice box.”

I’m serious. That’s what the guy said. The box is the thank you.

For goodness sake! Another opportunity for good customer service lost. Okay, granted, so you can’t suddenly change right then and there your POS and cash system, but you can do a little thing called “lagniappe” or “la yapa” or the baker’s dozen and toss in another cookie or two as a gesture of good will. And once again, instead, I watched as a slightly perturbed customer–feeling a little bit like a sucker–turns and leaves, likely loathe to return to such insulting treatment again.

It just doesn’t make sense to miss these opportunities to really connect with a customer. It doesn’t have to happen all the time, no. But it should happen at those opportune moments when you have a real chance to win a regular customer who comes back because he believes the business appreciates serving her.

If you are a restaurant owner working directly with customers, you should be doing this, right? If you leave all of that to your staff (which should be monitored pretty closely by you in any event), then you should at least give them the facility, the power, and the training to operate in this way.

It just makes good business sense in a tough, tough sector of the economy.