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Tag: Customer Service

  • Sydney Cafe Delivers best Customer Service

    A café in Sydney has been awarded the title of Australia’s best customer service provider in the dining and hospitality industry. The national competition was conducted by American Express and found Village Store Café at Darling Point to be the top of its industry.
    Read this insert by Hospitalitymagazine.com.au which provides more information:

    Richard Goldman who runs the Village Store cafe at Darling Point was nominated by one of his customers who said he goes “above and beyond to ensure each customer is treated with respect and welcomed”.


     The program called Great Service Quest which attracted hundreds of nominations from the customers of businesses around the country was launched by American Express following its research that revealed service standards were in decline.


     As well as the dining and hospitality category it also looked for examples of great service providers in the Retail, Home Services, and the Health and Wellbeing industries.

     

     A humble Goldman (pictured) said that providing good customer service was just part of his job.

     

     “You’re in hospitality for a reason – to give good service,” he said.

     

     “It’s a challenging job and every day brings something different.”

     

     American Express managing director Lisa Vehrenkamp said she was impressed by the numbers of people who were so focused on delivering outstanding service.

     

    Source: http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/food/news/sydney-cafe-owner-delivers-best-service-to-custome

    The competition which is designed to recognise excellence in customer service provision has revealed that although there are a number of service providers who provide excellent service, national standards are generally on the decline. That is why competitions of this nature are so important to foster a culture of good customer service, after all customers are the bread and butter of the business.

    The search was conducted across 11 countries and found that a number of Australian consumers are not too satisfied with the service they are receiving at restaurants. Four out of ten Australians are dissatisfied with the service they receive and record beaten only by the dissatisfaction of the French.

    The number one customer service faux paux is a bad attitude. Whether or not you are having a bad day, it’s not the customer’s fault and they shouldn’t have to pay for it. Smile, be pleasant and greet each one. Try to assist them as much as possible and do so politely.

    Also use age-appropriate greetings. That implies avoiding referring to older customers and women as “guys” it can come across as rude.

    Be proactive and ask how you may be of service, always stay visible so that you can be of service but don’t hover around them and interrupt their conversation.

    You should give customers standing in front of you precedence over someone who calls on the phone and never judge customers, treat everyone equally regardless of age.

    When asked a question don’t ever say you don’t know, rather say, “I don’t know but I can find out”.

    Smile as you are saying goodbye and encourage the customer to come again, the last impression is just as important as the first. Always consider how you would like to be treated if you were the customer and you will soon realise that your attitude has a lot to do with your customer’s satisfaction.

     

     

  • Drinkers Take to the Web to Voice their Opinions

    More and more consumers are taking to the internet to voice their concerns or praise for liquor brands according to evidence provided by Nielsen at the ALSA conference recently. Because customers are making their voice heard online, retailers and producers should be doing the same thing, making their presence felt online. Social media especially is a tool that can be used by liquor retailers to market and promote their products.
    This post on TheShout.com has more:

    Liquor retailers were this week shown evidence that drinkers are increasingly taking to the web to voice their experiences with products and service.
     At the ALSA conference, Nielsen executive director Michael Walton showed delegates a recent online discussion initiated by a consumer about his experience at a liquor store in Western Australia.
     In a post on a fishing website, the drinker vents about the price of beer, kicking off four days of debate about the bottleshop and the beer brand concerned.
     Walton said such incidents are happening “all the time”, demonstrating that suppliers and retailers must play in the online space.
     If you’re not there, it’s already happening and it’s moved past you,” he said.

     

     But rather than being a threat, Walton said social media and online marketing is a great opportunity because it is cost effective and “a great leveller”.

     

    Source: http://www.theshout.com.au/2012/08/31/article/Are-drinkers-knocking-your-brand-online/ANGQRIYWDO.html

    It is true many customers would rather take to social media to either rant or rave about a product or service received as it is less time consuming, more convenient and a more anonymous way of getting their views out there. This trend is demanding that retailers and businesses offer the best customer service possible at all times if they do not want to anger customers and spark complaints online, thereby damaging the reputation of their business.

    Some of the other major benefits of using social media especially for your business include:

    1. Branding your business. Even those users who do not directly engage with your brand, will still see your brand and they will begin to develop an impression of your business, making them more likely to remember your brand in the future.
    2. It allows you to manage the reputation of your brand.  As the study by Nielsen explains even if you are not engaged in online marketing, your brand is probably being discussed, whether you take part in that discussion or not. Rather be involved in how your brand is perceived.  Feedback from Social Media can also help you make informed decisions based on customer impressions.

     

    3. Customer Service and Feedback is streamlined.  Providing support to your customers is vital to the success of any business and social media is no exception to the rule. When a person reaches out to you, whether their input is good or bad it is extremely important to respond in a timely and helpful manner. Social media provides the platform for consumers to interact on a personal level.

     

    4. Social media facilitates Competitive Analysis which in an industry as diverse and saturated as the liquor industry is especially important. Social media makes this process easier by allowing for complete transparency of the content and conversations your competitors are having on their social accounts. Social media can help keep you on track with other non-profits, businesses, publications or partners.