Care About Your Customers and Boost Profit

Ever feel that your staff believe that a customer should come last? Let me explain.

You know when it’s not your day don’t you? One thing doesn’t work out and then the next doesn’t either. But when you’re the customer and it’s not going your way, you know it’s time to give up!

Last weekend my hubbie and I were away on a city break in the West Country. Sundays are usually hectic in our house – everyone going in different directions – lazy Sunday brunches don’t happen very often.

So on our weekend away we decided to forego breakfast, do a little sightseeing in the city, walk a bit and then have brunch when we worked up a really good appetite (and walked off last night’s dinner!)

Now it’s 11.15am and we found a lovely café for brunch. We were about to settle in when we were told that breakfast had finished at 11am and that lunch didn’t start until midday. Nothing else, just that statement – no offer of anything, not even a coffee. Umm… we left.

We tried another café and had the same result.

But the third establishment said ‘Come in, have a seat and let me get you a coffee whilst I check what is available from the kitchen’. We did, she checked and offered us brunch albeit with a slightly restricted menu; scrambled eggs on toast with a tomatoes on the side. Bacon and beans would have been equally good.

We ordered and we ate and left a big tip too; everyone was happy.

And here’s the thing. The third café made us feel valued rather than making us feel like we were in the way. We probably won’t ever go there again, but they received a great review on Trip Advisor and a mention back at our B&B.

What do you do or not do to make your customers feel special?