7 keys to managing customer service in restaurants
In the restaurant logistics, serving delicious meals shouldn't be the only goal. El customer service in restaurants and experience are equally important for establishing a brand image and a lasting relationship with your customers.
Happy customers are the key component of what makes a great restaurant. That's why it's crucial that restaurant staff are trained to offer the best possible service to each customer.
This article gives you 7 keys to managing the customer service in restaurants and provide an exceptional experience to everyone who visits your business.
What is restaurant customer service?
Customer service in a restaurant is essential for restaurant success. That's why you should be clear about what customer service is, as its exact meaning is often subject to interpretation.
While the definition of a positive dining experience differs greatly from one person to another, certain factors are essential in the restaurant customer service.
El customer service in restaurants is the assistance and attention that restaurants provide to diners. This can include everything from the actual dining experience to building long-term relationships.
How does logistics work with restaurant customer service?
Logistics is the art of delivering the right product or service at the right time and place, at the lowest possible cost.
To have quality service in restaurants, it is essential that customers are well served. That's why you should provide good service both at home and in the restaurant lounge.
To do this, with restaurant customer service logistics, you can implement some good practices to increase the efficiency of restaurant workflows.
In this way, in addition to decentralizing employee responsibilities, it is possible to better serve customers and also contribute to the preservation of the products offered.
1. From the kitchen to the customers' tables
Invest time to establish a classroom service protocol and familiarize your team with it.
If orders are placed on the customer's own smartphone or directly with whom they are serving, the information must be transmitted correctly to the kitchen, thus reducing service times.
It implements new technologies, to reduce the incidence of order errors and ensure faster delivery.
2. From the kitchen to delivery to the customer's home
Order and delivery control logistics will have a direct impact on the customer experience. The entire sales and delivery process is interconnected.
It's no use having a good application and agility when preparing the order if the last stage, which is delivery, fails with the customer.
To this end, logistics systems for restaurants aim to optimize logistics for the delivery of orders placed through the delivery platform, which help with movement and greater productivity.
How to successfully manage customer service for your restaurant?
Here are 7 key aspects that will allow you to successfully manage customer service for your restaurant:
1. Clearly define a customer service protocol
You must establish a customer service protocol that includes consistency in the quality, quantity and flavor of the food, as well as the expected customer service.
Standard procedures must be established from taking the order, a key point of the service, to the establishment of loyalty programs that help you generate customer loyalty.
2. Manage and strengthen restaurant staff
While some staff members may have a special ability to deal with customers, quality service in restaurants comes from having a competent staff trained to resolve any situation within the establishment.
3. Lean on a POS point of sale system
The point of sale or POS system helps you keep track of the Inventory of food, cash flow and sales.
Obviously, as a restaurant owner or manager, you focus on running a kitchen efficiently and serving delicious food. But having a POS is crucial. It's the central nerve of your restaurant, which makes everything run smoothly.
4. Create a system of requests, complaints and grievances
Any problem or concern of any customer must be addressed promptly. When a customer posts their complaints online, you should be responsive enough and respond with kindness and courtesy.
Whether it's something as simple as having the wrong drink at a fast food restaurant. Or a service complaint at a high-end gourmet restaurant, the way you handle requests, complaints and claims makes a difference with your customers.
5. Establish a table distribution map
The table layout map is essential for a restaurant's service to be successful.
The design of your dining room will have a big impact on its operational efficiency and the rate of table turnover.
For example, if the route from the kitchen to the seating area is curvy and cluttered, it will hinder your servers and slow down service.
To optimize table turns, design a floor plan that is not only aesthetic, but is also functional and easy to navigate.
An adequate table layout allows staff safety and movement to provide efficient service and improve the customer experience.
6. Optimizes customer service times
Text A delay in delivering orders to your customers can affect your customer experience in a negative way.
That is why, for excellent restaurant service, waiting times must be commensurate with the complexity of the dish being requested.
Also, the number of people in your restaurant should not affect average wait times.
To optimize waiting times, rely on technology and ongoing training for your staff.
7. Implement technology to improve service
The automation of restaurant operations is crucial for providing better service and increasing service efficiency.
You can define each recipe in a system, have an online reservation and order system or make delivery more efficient with platforms such as Picker.
If you use technology the right way, things can work better and offer a customer service in restaurants of quality.
Why is Picker the key to improving your restaurant?
Home deliveries have become an essential part of customer service in restaurants. An agile and efficient delivery service translates into an improved customer experience.
With Picker you can provide your restaurant with more coverage for the delivery of your dishes. It connects you to multiple delivery partners, reducing your logistics costs.
Give your customers a real tracking experience with Picker, to improve the shopping experience, increase their trust and have a timely and optimal service.
Conclusions
No matter how perfect everything in your restaurant may be: the food, the ambiance, the atmosphere, it's always the customer service that keeps people coming back.
When people feel welcome and important in your restaurant, that's when they go from being a one-time diner to a regular customer.
Improve the customer service in restaurants is the key to leaving customers satisfied.
Pay special attention to these key points for a successful service and take them as a starting point to create a real impact among your customers and have a successful restaurant.
