When independent shops are being squeezed out by large chains every day, excellent customer service can become a point of distinction. So I was surprised yesterday when I overheard the following conversation while I was standing in the local independent coffee shop waiting for my sandwich.
A staffer picked up the phone and clearly identified the cafe and himself, which was a good start. Then he listened for a moment.
"Oh, well, I'm not familiar with the catering menu. You should call back in half an hour and talk to Bob," he said, while looking at the clock. More silence.
"Bob... Bob," he repeated the name several times and then hung up the phone with a sigh. Clearly, this was not the perfect ending to the conversation.
What are the chances that the customer called back? I know I wouldn't have after such a brush off. They clearly don’t need or want my business. And you should never make more work for the customer. It is the company’s job to create a seamless transaction.
If the shop prioritized customer service (or training), the employee would have taken down the customer’s name, number, the order, and then made sure Bob followed up to confirm the details.
In that scenario, the customer would have been happy to get a confirmation call and have their order completed, the cafe would have had a nice catering job and everyone would have been happy.
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