4 strategies to improve customer service

On one hand, the one who is going to say that a restaurant has “excellent customer service” is mostly the customer. On the other hand, customers are different, and of course with different expectations. That is why if we want to satisfy everyone, this won't be possible. Fortunately, there are some things you can do and some tips as well that I can share with you to be as good as possible and create an excellent experience for most of your customers.

Utilise customer feedback
The first step is to learn about the customers who visit your restaurant and from their direct and indirect feedbacks. Always is important to have parameters to define our actions inside the restaurant and customer’s feedback helps a lot to build that. Some examples would be: How much time do I have before taking the order of the customer (until he/she gets upset); how much wait (patiently) the customer until getting the beverages and the food; how friendly should be the staff with the customers; which kind of atmosphere do we have to create, in which situations customers get angry, etc. So we can act within this “service-comfort-zone” and minimise possible incorrect practices to your customer’s eyes and minds.

Always be professional
Second but not less important, be as much professional and committed to your job as possible. I see all the time people with too much stress, without the needed experience or knowledge and of course energy-less because of the frustration. Most of the customers notice that and the service quality valuation is directly affected. My recommendation is to learn and improve as much as possible, as often as possible to keep an excellent performance.

Notice the small details
My third recommendation is related to the second one: give the best of yourself and keep an eye to the little details everywhere inside your restaurant. The hospitality industry is all about experiences, moments, sensations and everything our bodies can feel and perceive. That is the main point why you need to put attention first at all to yourself to be healthy, energised and positive. So you can give to your customers, the best service.

Set yourself goals
The last point is a tip from a personal experience some years ago working in a restaurant in Peru: make yourself goals. For example: “go from 3 to 4,5 starts in the next six months”; “Have the best customer experience in my district”; “be the number one in a specifically targeted group” etc.

Excellent customer service is all about commitment. Set your mind to give the best, try out these tips and be consistent and disciplined and, of course, enjoy it!