1. Campus Café
Customer Service Manual
Written by
Elizabeth Stoffel
Amanda Voelzke
Andrew Butler
Kara Hansen
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2. Table of Contents
PROVIDING SERVICES 3
TECHNOLOGY IN SERVICE 5
COMMUNICATING WITH CUSTOMERS 7
MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS 8
MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS 10
EMERGING TRENDS 12
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3. Providing Services
Mission Statement
Customer Service for the Campus Café is defined as the ability to serve students, faculty, staff,
and campus guests in a friendly manner while in a positive atmosphere resulting in positive
word-of-mouth, publicity, and return business.
Employee Roles and Expectations
- Employees will take orders, receive cash from customers, distribute change if necessary,
prepare food orders, and call customer by name when food is ready.
- Employees should look presentable, wear jeans with no tears, a name tag, an apron, and
have their hair tied back.
- Employees should greet every customer promptly and consistently.
- The customer is your top priority.
Policies and Procedures
- Employees should wear gloves and hairnets or bandanas when preparing and handling
food.
- Don’t use gloves that were used to prepare food during cash register transactions.
- Floors and counters need to be clean.
- Refrigerate perishables at proper temperature.
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4. Management Support
- Staff should be able to contact manager during hours of operation when they are the
only employee working behind the counter.
- Management should support staff.
Products and Services
- The café will provide convenient food options for their customers such as ready-made
cold sandwiches, soup, fruit, vegetables, packaged ice cream, coffee, tea, and other
beverages.
- Food and drinks should be clearly labeled with the name and price on a printed sign.
- The campus café gives customers the option to pay by cash or credit card for
convenience purposes.
Motivators and Rewards
- A reward punch card or point system is used for frequent purchases.
- The receipt stubs from customer purchases can be entered into drawings for free food.
Delivery System
- When taking a customer’s order, write down their name and call them by name when
their order is done.
- The campus café provides convenient food that can be purchased immediately.
- If business is slow, staff should bring the food to the customer as a courtesy.
- The information delivery system should have consistency in messages whether they’d
be online or at the café when providing information about hours of operation and
specials.
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5. Technology in Service
Web Services
The campus café will use a webpage on morainepark.edu’s website to list hours and menu that
are consistent with the signage posted around school and at the cafe.
Social Media
The campus café will use Facebook as a way to provide information to the customer as well as
allowing customers to interact with the café.
For example, the café can post questions on their Facebook page such as, “What is your
favorite dish served at the campus café?” or “What would you like to see on the menu?”
Customers will be able answer those questions by commenting on them.
The café will be able to post daily specials on their Facebookpage, which will show up in the
news feed of those who have “liked” the campus café Facebook page.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Facebook
Advantages
- Easy access to customer feedback
- An inexpensive tool to use
- Reach the friends of the people who “like” your page
- Connect with customers and other businesses
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6. Disadvantages
- People can post negative comments on your page
- People need to subscribe to your page because “liking” your page does not guarantee
they see all your posts
- Setting up and maintaining a page takes time
Guidelines for Using Technology
- Use technology responsibly by using it only for business
- Proofread written material that is posted online
- Respond to customers promptly when they send a message
- Use business etiquette when communicating through e-mail
- Use technology that your customers are using
- Be professional while speaking on the phone
Etiquette Guidelines for Using Social Networking
- Social media such as the company’s Facebook page and Twitter account must be used
for café-purposes only
- Do not share any confidential information about the company that poses security issues
- Do not use inappropriate or offensive language
- Do not share inappropriate photographs, videos, or links to inappropriate content
- Do not attack people who have left negative comments
- Do not share passwords with unauthorized peoples
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7. Communicating with Customers
Guidelines for Greeting and Responding to Customers
- Customers should be greeted immediately as they approach the counter
- Follow the service recovery process if there is a service breakdown
- Smile when speaking to customers
- Use a friendly, professional tone
- Always apologize for any inconveniences such as long lines
- Make an effort to use customers’ names whenever possible
- Answer questions sent via e-mail or Facebook within two business days
- Don’t let your personal life affect your ability to serve the customer
- Don’t let customers in a bad mood affect your ability to serve
- Don’t make the customers wait for you if you’re on the phone
- Business conversation takes precedence over personal conversation
- Thank the customer for their business
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8. Meeting Customer Needs
Expectations of Our Customers
- Convenient food options such as grab-and-go
- Variety of food and beverage items
- Healthy options such as fruits and vegetables
- Quick service
- Hot food is served hot, cold food is served cold
Guidelines for Serving Customers with Disabilities
- Make sure the environment is accommodating for people with limited motion before
they come into the business by moving obstacles, like furniture or stands, in the
walkway.
- Make sure signs are not posted too high or too low so they don’t have to move their
head to read them.
- Counters should be low enough for the people to see the customer service
representative easily.
- Don’t place handouts where people need to extend their arms to reach them, and don’t
make them reach to receive handouts you hand to them.
- Don’t make assumptions that the customer physically needs your help.
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9. - Don’t give assistance without asking first if it is okay to do so.
- Don’t comment on their disability. Focus on their face and not on their canes, braces or
other devices.
- Be patient with the customer if they cannot move quickly.
Guidelines for Serving Difficult Customers
- Remain calm and professional
- Be empathetic to their situation
- Diffuse anger
- Don’t interrupt them
- Don’t place the blame on anyone
Policies/Procedures and Behavioral Styles
Inquisitive Decisive
• Stick to the facts • Be task-orientated with them
• Minimize small talk • Don’t be too detailed
• Provide quick service • Make things systematic
• State things in steps • Stay on topic
Rational Expressive
• Be casual and sincere • Personally greet customers and
• Rationalize and work with them make small talk if receptive
• Listen to their feelings • If this person has a question
• Slow down, listen, and clarify about a product, show them the
product if possible
• Make them feel good
• Speak enthusiastically and let
them talk
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10. Managing Relationships
Showing that Customer Business is Valued
- Following up with customers by asking how they like their food
- Give incentives for repeat business
- Greet customers with a friendly attitude.
- Make customers feel special with some small talk and remembering details
- Thank them for their business
Types of Service Breakdowns
- Customer receives the wrong order
- Long lines, customers have to wait and they don’t have enough time
- Quality of food was less than expected
- Customer’s mode of payment is not accepted (ex: credit card)
- Customer finds café closed when it should be in operation
- Not enough healthy alternatives
- Lack of signage or unclear signs that are confusing or misleading
How to Prevent Breakdowns
- Write order clearly and read order back to customer
- Apologize and thank customer for waiting
- Make sure hot dishes are hot and cold dishes are cold. Offer alternatives
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11. - Use large signage that tells the customer what type of payment is accepted and direct
them to the ATM machine if necessary
- Keep set weekly hours and notify customers in advance of any changes
- If customers are repeatedly asking for healthy alternatives, give them more healthy
alternatives
- Make sure signs are large enough to read and clearly stated
Service Recovery Process
The service recovery process diagram
Show Provide
Apologize Take Action Follow-Up
Compassion Compensation
Guidelines for Recovery Process
- Apologize to the customer for any inconvenience
- If food was unsatisfactory, offer an alternative
- Follow up by asking if the alternative was satisfactory
- When the customer has a problem, address it immediately
- Listen to the customer
Assuring Customer Satisfaction
- Get feedback from customers whenever possible
- Treat the customer like they’re number one
- Parroting and paraphrasing the customer’s request
- Ensuring products and services are of high quality
- Listen to the customer and don’t interrupt
- Maintain a positive attitude under all circumstances
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12. Emerging Trends
Social Media
Using social media is an emerging trend for most businesses, restaurants included. The Campus
Café will notify customers of specials through social media such as Facebook or Twitter. The
café’s Facebook page will be used to encourage customer feedback through questions and
polls. Guidelines for using these tools are stated in the “Technology in Service” section of this
manual.
Advertising on Facebook by targeting Facebook user in the area is a cost-effective way to
advertise.Twitter is used in the food industry to let customers know about specials and
deal.LinkedIn allows the café to network with other restaurant businesses.Photographs of items
served can be posted and shared on Pinterest.
Online Opportunities
The café can use Groupon to reach customers. Since technology is quick and people are on-the-
go most of the time, drinks like coffee and tea have increased in popularity.
Restaurants such as Pizza Hut allow customers to order online rather than calling or showing up
to purchase items saving time and effort.
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13. Using the mass e-mail system on campuses allows college entities to contact many students at
once.
Businesses are using Podcasts and posting videos on YouTube to promote their business and
interact with their customers.
Digital Picture Frames
Digital picture frames are a way to incorporate technology into a restaurant business by
showcasing pictures of food available for purchase.
Using QR codes on menus to access the café’s Facebook page can be used for those customers
who have smart phones.
Non-Digital Trends
Another trend in the restaurant business is to provide calorie information.
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14. Resources
Anderson, B. (n.d.). Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Facebook for Your Business.Fruition.
Retrieved fromhttp://fruition.net/social-media/facebook-marketing-2/advantages-and-
disadvantages-of-using-facebook-for-your-business/
Lauby, S. (2009, June 2).10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy.Mashable. Retrieved from
http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/
Lucas, R. (2011). Customer Service Skills for Success.McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Webster, L. (n.d.). The Disadvantages of Using Facebook for Business Needs.Chron. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-using-facebook-business-needs-38685.html
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