The Food was Good, The Service Was Not!

   This was what a client told me this week when I went and visited with him!  He had a disgruntled customer call him and tell him that after the customer had ordered take out from his restaurant.  After waiting 40 minutes in the car with 2 hungry, crying, tired children, she was frustrated!! 
     Do you know what happened?  The staff had given the order to the wrong customer and forgot the lady waiting in the car!  Do you know what is even worse?  When the customer went back in the restaurant to find out what happened to her order, the staff got into a fight about who made the mistake– and insulted the customer in the process!
     My client received a phone call from the customer!  As you can guess by this point, he did not know all of the facts, however, once he had them, he too was fit to be tied.  He called the disgruntled customer, offered her a gift certificate for another visit and apologized for the actions of the staff.  The customer came back, used the gift certificate and had a much better experience.
     My client was going to have a little “refresher” session with his staff, pointing out that the food dollar can be spent many places.  If you don’t give good service or rude to the customer, they won’t come back–period.
     I was in a coffee shop the other morning and the owner was frustrated about one of her new hires.  Interestingly, this employee has been constantly “challenged” since being hired, however, the owner of this coffee shop told me that she is afraid that there is nobody else any better “out there?”
     As a business owner, you cannot afford to have the staff ruin your business.  You have to constantly monitor, train and mentor every one of your staff.  Remember, everyone has something special to bring to the table.  In many cases, you have to find out what that special skill or trait is— and then utilize it.  Now, this is not bad, however, it does require some additional work on your part as the owner!
     With today’s employee, mentorship and leadership on your part is key to success of both the individual employee and your business.  Documented processes and procedures are vital to insure consistency throughout the work experience.  Most millenial generation employees will respond to direction and leadership, however, you must provide it.
     If you need help, give us a call, we can help you develop a program that will be beneficial to both you and your employees.