Did You Know That Customer Experience Starts The Moment An Employee Speaks With A Customer?
Debbie Hart
Expert Customer Experience Management Training ? Mystery Shopping & Business Assessments ? Event Services
What happened to giving customers a reason to spend their hard-earned money with you?
Lately, it seems as if restaurants and businesses are so paranoid that a customer won't show up for their reservation that they are asking for a credit card to hold the time slot. Is this a good policy or does this turn your customer away? Who likes to give their credit card number in advance to someone answering a phone? They even state they will charge you a certain amount if you don't show up for your reservation. I know many people who will hang up or walk away without returning. Do restaurants and/or businesses have so many no-shows that they want to turn away customers with this practice?
How many times have you as a customer made a reservation at a restaurant or business and when you walk in they say you never made one? This has happened to many people I know on numerous occasions. Do the people answering the phones know how to take reservations? It should be a very standard process that anyone who answers the phone can handle effectively.
Some restaurants are filling the entire evening with reservations and not allowing walk-ins, or quoting ridiculous 2-hour wait times. Does anyone want to sit around and wait for 2 hours to get a table? Some people like to do an impromptu dinner and not have to plan out a week or more in advance for a meal out.
Do restaurants and businesses remember where they were a couple of years ago during the pandemic? They were begging for business and now they are okay with driving business away. Customers want ease, simplicity, a fun/good experience, and the opportunity to not cook at home and go out to eat. It's becoming so frustrating to eat?at a restaurant anymore, it's turning people off. Is that what the restaurant/hospitality business is about? It shouldn't be.
As a small business owner, I go out of my way to help my clients/customers. I answer emails, return calls, treat people with respect, and sometimes give a discount to a loyal customer or give a complimentary service.
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What are some ways we can be better business owners?
At The Hart Experience, we understand what it takes to keep customers happy and returning. Let us educate you and your team on the value of a customer's perspective. Contact Debbie at 602.717.3271 or [email protected]
PS. Contact us for your complimentary business evaluation
General Manager-Grupo EULEN Team leader with a track record of improving operational efficiency, productivity, increasing profitability, and enhancing standards for quality.
1 年I agree that the customer experience starts before you have any type of contact with employees...From the moment you're getting ready to drive to the place, getting in the parking lot, walking through the doors, greeting you once you arrive, etc. Debbie Hart great article, and one more comment. Thanks
Chief Experience Officer at billquiseng.com. Award-winning Customer CARE Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Blogger
1 年Debbie Hart, I ?? your article to express my appreciation and kudos for sharing your insight into the best ways "we can be better business owners". But I do agree to disagree to a degree. Customer experience does NOT start before an employee speaks with the customer". Customer service is what you do for your customers. Customer experience is how your customers feel before, during, and after, what you did. In other words, customer experience starts when a customer seeks the best value in their experience, not the best price, product, or service of your experience. Even further, customer experience starts before the employee speaks with a customer. It could start with your advertising online and stop after the purchase of your product or service when they are disgusted, satisfied, or WOWED about their experience with your product or service. We may agree to disagree, but I am sure that we can interact with each other without being disagreeable. And for that, and the fact that you are a GREAT CX influencer, I very much ?? appreciate you.
Psychotherapist LCSW - I Help Adult Clients Work Through Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Dysregulation, Anger Management, Self Confidence, Relationships, Life Transitions, Personal & Professional Growth, and Empowerment.
1 年Debbie Hart I agree! That's why it's so important to train staff to be courteous, friendly, and diligent. First impressions can be lasting impressions! Is this what you help customers with?