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Service With A Smile
By: Michael Crawford, MEd, MAS
Issue: 2009dec
Moving from customer service into customer satisfaction
I was 17 years old and it was my first big night as a waiter in a local family-owned restaurant. The owner officially moved me up from busing tables to waitstaff. Other servers who once sneered at sharing a dollar of their tip money with the house busboy had a new reason to complain: the busboy was now working in a section of tables that once belonged to them.
I soon found table territory to be an interesting component to overall staff peace and success. The ever changing section size relative to the customer dinner rush and the resulting niche location assigned by the hostess would often have a direct affect on how lucrative the night would become. Big-tipping regulars who preferred a certain booth or table would cause staff to fight for that section in the restaurant. When evening sections were finally announced it was never equal or fair. Those few favored veterans dictated many placements, even overriding the hostess’s earlier assignments; so was life.
In the wee morning hours, after the shift ended and the last customer left, waitstaff would eagerly count their tips and either brashly gloat about their haul of tips or keep their final evening earnings closely guarded. Many bragged how much their customers spent on drinks, how expensive their dinner bills were and, of course, whether or not they left the standard 15 percent tip. Earning more than the standard was especially a reason to boast.
If you’ve never waited tables, you may not know that most restaurants pay waitstaff less than minimum wage, with the balance made up in tips. Having a low tip night literally means that you may not even meet a minimum wage for that evening. Being new to the position, this was not a welcomed tradition, but it propelled me to be ever attentive to customers; every one, every detail.
That first night my assignment was a six-table section. Arriving customers were placed into sections in a staggered rotation so that each server had ample time to service each new table. Great plan in theory, but a bit unrealistic as the restaurant was very popular. The food was great, so the dining room was continuously jam-packed with customers on Fridays from 5:30 pm until we closed at midnight.
A table of five had just landed in my section and I was getting their drink order when I overheard the head waitress say to the hostess, “I don’t want them. Put them in Mike’s section.” She then turned to me and sheepishly said, “They always stay a long time, are often grouchy, drink pots and pots of coffee because of our free refills and never tip. Have fun; they are all yours, Mike!”
Every customer deserves customer service, even the most demanding. I was up for the challenge and after meeting them they seemed quite usual and friendly enough. “Are you new?” one of them asked. “I am. I heard you three like coffee by the pot,” I quickly replied. Another of the three said, “Yes, we usually drink several. We like it hot, with fresh cream and loads of sugar.” “Are you going to be eating anything this evening or are you just having coffee?” I inquired. “Just coffee, thank you,” the third customer responded. “Coming right up!” I replied.
These were three customers who knew what they wanted and clearly communicated it to me. After several trips for refills however, I asked the head cook if I could take a full coffee carafe to their table and was given permission to do so. Sure enough, two more followed. A friendly banter developed between me and my three customers and after a while the banter transitioned into a light-hearted discussion of family and eventually lead me to a better understanding of who they were, why they chose this particular restaurant and always stayed so long. In the process of serving their table, I was also able to identify five key customer service principles of long-term relationships.
1. All people desire acceptance. Remember to demonstrate to all people around you that they hold value through your actions and deeds with them; mere words do not compare in power.
2. Discover the core values of those you seek to serve. Find out what drives them, discuss it with interest and customers will want to return to your table.
3. Deliver what your customer wants. Deliver the goods early and often, keeping it fresh, full and hot.
4. Follow up to ensure customers are satisfied. Ask quality questions that are brief and adjust immediately to service their changing needs. Or, provide extra napkins in anticipation of spills.
5. Thank them for their patronage. It can be as simple as a breath mint or a hand-written note on their bill. Make your thank-you unique (after all, you are part of the best industry on earth).
How fortunate I was to get them in my section that first night. I received a $20 tip on a total coffee bill of only $2.39. After they left, another staff member saw the tip lying on the table. The word spread of their generosity and then everyone wanted them seated in their section. But my three customers would not have any of that!
And for many years afterwards, Nancy, Cindy and Samantha continued to request only me. Was it because my coffee was hotter? No. Did I charge less for the coffee? No. It was because I truly valued each customer, no matter what he or she ordered. I knew that if I did my best, the customer would be satisfied. I asked questions to qualify and followed up to make certain the product was adequate and I took the time to learn about my customers’ needs.
That evening I discovered these three customers were sisters and they had lost their mother to breast cancer only four months prior. The restaurant was located at a convenient midpoint for them to get together once a week, and the booth and the restaurant lighting offered them a semi-private space to share stories of their respective families and of their beloved mother whom they all desperately missed.
In short order, the sisters taught me that customer service is not just about the sale, but often about providing a quality experience for the customers. It is what sets us apart as businesses in any economy, especially in an economy where everyone is just selling coffee on price.
Michael Crawford, MEd, MAS, is a neighbor, coach, father, art director and owner of Crawford Creative Group (UPIC: Crawford) in Owosso, Michigan.
crawfordcreative@charter.net
989-245-3779
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