Customer service is important for restaurants to provide at all stages of the customer experience from making reservations to after the meal. Some key aspects of good customer service include greeting customers with a smile, addressing their needs, getting orders correct, serving food at the proper temperature, cleaning thoroughly, listening to customers, apologizing when mistakes happen, and following up after their visit. Maintaining high quality customer service can help businesses stand out from their competition.

1. EXPANDING minds
refining APPROACHES
Nomad

2. How to provide the best
customer service:
By Peter Njenga

3. Customer service is a provision of service to customers
before, during and after a purchase. "Customer service
is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of
customer satisfaction - that is, the feeling that a
product or service has met the customer expectation."

4. It starts when the customer calls for a reservation or
walks in the door; a pleasant welcome will set the tone
for the dining experience. Accommodating and
anticipating the customer's needs is service at its best.

5. When you work in a restaurant you are always on stage,
all eyes are on you. It's imperative to always smile,
focus on customers' needs and speak clearly. Great
posture sends an inviting and positive message to your
customers.

8. People highly appreciate the little things, so pay
attention to your customers' needs. Customers have
faith and trust when you show a high level of
attentiveness and anticipate all their needs. For
instance if they order a steak, make sure they have a
steak knife.

9. Caring for your customers is like treating them like
your guest at home. Customers appreciate when you
pay attention, listen, make eye contact, engage with
them and be present.

10. People like their food or drink the way they order it, so
write it down and repeat it back to the customer to
ensure order accuracy. When the order is correct, you
build trust and opportunities for more sales; if the
order is wrong, they lose faith and you lose sales.

11. This one makes or breaks a restaurant because your
food quality depends on the temperature of your food.
So always serve hot food hot and cold food cold. The
food tastes better at the correct temperature.

12. Properly time all courses to come out accordingly.
People are on time constraints and have limited time
to spend in a restaurant. Great timing from the
reservation to the end game provides lots of
opportunities to build sales and create relationships.

13. Cleanliness is one critical area where customers judge a
restaurant by its restrooms, glassware and silverware
and they use it as a measure to determine how clean
the kitchen is. No one wants to eat with a fork that has
soapy water spots on it or a dirty plate. These are little
details that distinguish the good restaurants from the
great restaurants.

14. This is simply how restaurants thrive. Hospitality is a
relationship between a guest and a host and is not a
transaction. Get to know your customers.

15. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and
find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People
value sincerity. It creates good feeling and trust. Think
about ways to generate good feelings about doing
business with you. Customers are very sensitive and
know whether or not you really care about them.
Thank them every time you get a chance.

16. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking
questions and concentrating on what the customer is really
saying. Listen to their words, the tone of voice, body
language, and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of
making assumptions - thinking you intuitively know what
the customer wants. Do you know what three things are
most important to your customer? Effective listening and
undivided attention are particularly important on the show
floor where there is a great danger of preoccupation -
looking around to see to whom else we could be selling to.

17. When something goes wrong, apologize. It's easy and
customers like it. The customer may not always be
right, but the customer win. Deal with problems
immediately and let customers know what you have
done. Make it simple for customers to complain. Value
their complaints. As much as we dislike it, it gives us an
opportunity to improve. Even if customers are having a
bad day, go out of your way to make them feel
comfortable.

18. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping
customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself
above the competition. Consider the following:
- What can you give customers that they cannot get
elsewhere?
- What can you do to follow-up and thank people even
when they don't buy?
- What can you give customers that is totally
unexpected?

19. All guests should be thanked and invited to return.
During this time you can ensure that all customers are
completely satisfied before they leave the restaurant.