Customer service in restaurants

Check and make sure that the people that are seated first are served first because people do see that. We were sitting in a restaurant and a table that was seated after us got attention first. People do see that, and it can really impact how they feel about the restaurant. Of course, on a Friday at lunch time a restaurant can have some unusual spikes of people showing up and making sure that everyone gets served would be a good thing.

Something that we have come to realize that in some restaurants the servers are only working to get their tips and paycheque and aren't there for the customers. You can actually tell by how they interact with customers and how often they are checking their personal devices. There are other restaurants where the staff seem to stick around for ages, and they care about the customers.

One thing we noticed is that if you are nice to a server, you can make them change their attitude. In our case there was a spike at lunch time, and the restaurant seemed to be understaffed which meant people were sitting waiting longer than normal to get served. In our case we were not in a hurry because part of me wanted to spend some time writing. Sometimes there are times when I just want to hide and sit in a spot and write and enjoy watching people.

The nice thing that happened with our server is she thanked us for understanding that they were busy. Just acknowledging that a restaurant can be very busy makes a difference on how you are served. Sure, someone else in a different section might be served before you but if you server has just taken an order before you were seated and the other server is free it can make a big difference.

Our server made sure that we felt appreciated and did everything she could to make our visit a good experience. It does help a lot when you feel appreciated and valued as a customer because there are times you will either spend longer and purchase more, or you will make sure you return to the location.

Customer service does matter

Recently we were in a hotel for a mini vacation and the breakfast experience left a lot to be desired. The hotel offers a buffet style breakfast each day of your stay. Of course, breakfast hours are different between weekday and weekend so you have to be aware of that. 

We went down for breakfast about an hour after breakfast started and found it busy but we have seen this same breakfast area busier than today and had a good experience. This time was so different as our first encounter was there was no coffee available and that quite a while for it to be refilled. We then headed to where to where the food was an that was even worse. Of course, there was a couple of ruby teams staying at the hotel so they were all down trying to get some food. Well by the time we could get to possibly have some food it looked like a tornado had gone through as there wasn't much left of anything at all. We were able to grab an egg patty each and I got a few hash browns and my husband got a few baked beans but that was it. There were not pork patties at all so that was a very frustrated situation.

We had a very small breakfast and finally after about 15 minutes they started to refill the eggs, hash browns and pork patties. This was after we figured we would make do with the small amount that we had and grab something later on in the day to make up for the lack of breakfast. We were not the only ones upset with the lack of food available as an option for breakfast. The breads and bagels had been wiped out along with any available fruit so the choices were extremely limited.

We did go and speak with a manager only to be told that what can we expect when everyone comes down at once. Her comment was “They are doing their best because everything needs to be microwaved". The staff should be monitoring the food levels to ensure that things don't run out when it is busy. We hadn't been anyone even checking the levels of the various food items so if that was their best I wouldn't want to see a bad day.

Customer service is very important especially in both hospitality and retail as customers are where the business can either win or lose. I hope that the next couple of days were going to be a better experience otherwise I know that I will be doing a review about my experience.

Edit: we spoke to the manager again the next day after the breakfast experience was much better and she let us know that the General Manager and herself (Operations Manager) went into the kitchen the previous day after we spoke to them and got things moving a bit better. She also recommended that they get an additional microwave. So, this shows that if there is an issue, it's important to make someone aware of it because if you don't say anything they won't know there is an issue.

Going the extra step

 We do stay in hotels sometimes and it is nice when you are recognized as a valued guest and in our case a member of the chain’s loyalty club. In a lot of cases when we are staying at the hotel, we will receive bottle water or something else as a preferred member. It is nice when the chain does this little bit extra.

This last stay that we did was a return trip to a hotel that we have enjoyed staying at. It is not a large hotel (5 floors) but it is very well kept and the staff have all been very friendly and helpful. This time when we arrived and were checking in, we were welcomed back and also welcomed as a member of the loyalty program. What was different this time was we received a different gift as were we a returning guest to this location. The front desk person went to the back and returned with a bag that had a hand written note on the bag that said “Welcome back" and inside the bag as a bottle of water, a small package of two bite brownies and a bag of potato chips. Yes, this was a lot different than we normally receive and it was nice and not expected.

Being recognized as a loyalty club member is always nice and even getting a bottle of water is always welcomed. Being recognized as a returning guest to this specific location was very special. It doesn't take a lot of effort for a hotel to make a difference in how they are viewed. Having staff that are friendly also makes a big difference on how hotel is viewed and recommended. I know that I have told a few people about this specific location because of how we have been treated in the past. 

For a hotel to go the extra step to make sure that guests feel comfortable and welcomed does go a long way in ensuring that people will return to a specific location again. I know that we will be returning to this location in the future because it is a nice escape from home and also a nice spot where we can relax. This last trip there was a hockey team also staying at the hotel while we were there but you wouldn't have guessed it because the team was very quiet.

So if you stay at a specific hotel chain and are recognized for being a loyalty club member, it shows that the chain cares. When a specific location does that little bit extra make sure that when you do the review of your stay you mention that because it shows the chain that people appreciate the little things even if it isn't something they always do. 

 

Self checkouts

So many stores and implementing these self-checkout stations and part of me likes it for the quick one or two items, but I also don’t like it when 90% of the checkouts are now something I must do myself.

Recently we were shopping in a craft store, and they were pushing everyone to use the self-checkout which yes, I only have two balls of yarn, so I figured it should be relatively easy to do. I had to answer the normal questions, did I have a membership, yes, please scan your membership. Now, please scan your items. I did that and then do you have a coupon. I had to locate the button so that I could then scan the couple. Of course, it immediately says, have you finished scanning all your items. I had, but there was something that I couldn’t do at this self check out, and it was to add my senior's discount to my purchase.

There was a button that you could press to get assistance, so I pushed that and had to wait for a salesperson to come over so that they could give me my discount. Of course, when the person was walking over and the light on the top of the device was flashing, she asked if everything was ok. Why would I have pressed to get assistance button if everything was ok. She finally entered the discount, and I was able to make the purchase and get out of the store. If you give a senior’s discount or any other type of discount, make sure that these discounts are automatically available through the scanning of the membership.

Here is another situation that seems to be happening quite often when you use some of the big box store checkouts, especially when you purchase something from the pharmacy section. Some locations seem to have it set up that once the item is scanned, it deactivates the security tag on the item. Well, the location we were in this time doesn’t do that so, of course, the tag beeps when you are leaving the self-checkout area and then it again deeps when you are leaving the store.

So, maybe the self-checkouts are saving on the number of staff that is needed in a store which is saving the company money, but it is frustrating the customers which may decide to go to stores where there are people able to assist in getting you checked out in a timely manner with fewer frustrations. There are so many people looking for work right now and here stores are eliminating entry level jobs that students and semi-retired people want to do.

Self-checkouts are great when things work well, but they can be a frustration as well, and maybe stores should think about how these checkouts are impacting the customers that shop in these stores. A cost savings for the store could also mean an income lose for the company as people will find other ways of purchasing the items.

Being a squeaky wheel

There are times when you need to be a squeaky wheel, and it can be a bit of a challenge. I don’t like having to raise issues, but there are times when things aren’t working correctly, and I have to make sure things are taken care of.

Recently, I noticed an issue with some items that are purchased on a regular basis for my mom. My mom lives in a senior’s residence, so they manage the ordering of supplies, which normally means that I only know that things have been ordered when I get the notification for the credit card charge. Well, after visiting mom I noticed that some things were out of stock, and I couldn’t figure out why that was happening. I checked the last time I received a notification, and it was July 11^th and here it was the end of August. On my next visit I decided to talk with some of the staff to see what was going on, and I was told that they had made the order but had not received the items. The staff has now been borrowing from other residents to make sure that my mom has what she also needs. I then called the management team to approve an order so that we could get things back on track. I did that request on August 31st, figuring that I would have seen a credit card charge within the next couple of days.

Well, here it is September 6^th and I haven’t received a credit card charge, therefore no order has been placed. I decided to call the provider to see if there was an invoicing issue, only to be told that they hadn’t received an order for my mom since July 11^th. Yes, here is the problem, they are saying that they haven’t received an order and the residence is saying that they have placed an order. After that phone call I called the person that normally is responsible at the residence to approve the orders and let her know that there is a major issue given now it is almost two months since the last order and the staff have had to borrow from other residence. I wonder how many other residents haven’t had their ordered filled because it shouldn’t just be my mom’s order that isn’t going through.

I hope that the issue is resolved within the next couple of days because now that it has been almost two months without an order being filled there is probably over a month worth of supplies that have to be given back to other residents. Here I sit waiting to receive a call to let me know what has been going on and how it is going to be resolved. Yes, having to be the squeaky wheel isn’t something that I enjoy doing, but when I see an issue that needs to be resolved I will work the system to ensure that the issue is resolved.

 

Hotel experience, such a great experience

Wanted to write this blog to show that different hotels and different hotel chains can result in such a different hotel experience. We are once again at a hotel and this time have been experiencing such a different level of care for the guests.

 

This trip started out with me booking our hotel online for a three night stay, which is what we figured would be enough of a time away from home for a bit of a vacation. Before heading out, we thought about it and decided to see if we could add another night to the reservation. This change was done just over a week before we headed out for our trip. I checked the rate online and then decided to call the hotel directly to see if I could modify my reservation and the call went extremely well, and I was quoted the same rate as I was seeing online, so we decided to extend our vacation. The person on the phone was very friendly and answered all the questions that I had without any attitude, which made me happy. I even called back to see what type of coffee maker was in the room, and he went into a room to find that information out for me. I did ask for his name, as I wanted to be able to thank him in person for the attention I was given when I called in.

When we arrived at the hotel, this same person was working, so he was able to assist us with our check in, and he even thanks me for being a member of their hotel program. The overall check in process went very smoothly, including him letting us know that our room was on the second floor and to turn left after exiting the elevator. That little bit of extra care that is taken, and it makes it so much easier knowing which way to go to get to your room.

All the staff that we have encountered through our stay have been very friendly and helpful. The room was nice and clean and all the bathroom items were in stock and available to use. We were also told that if we needed anything, not to hesitate to contact the front desk.

We did encounter a small issue, and it was with our television as we weren't able to get the Sportsnet, so we let the front desk know. The service we received as the front desk staff came up to the room and reconnected all the television connections to ensure everything was right. He said if that didn't work, he would call the service provider right away to get it looked into. The reconnecting everything worked, and we were able to watch the baseball games.

This experience really showed me why I am a member of this hotel's reward membership program. They care about the guests and make sure that you have a wonderful stay without worrying about things. I know that we will continue to stay with this hotel chain, and we will be returning to this hotel again.

Customer service

 

I have started to notice something about customer service in some stores since things have started to get back to normal, and I am not happy with what I am seeing. This may have happened before, but I think it is getting worse now as stores are wanting and needing business to survive. If they want to survive, I think these are some things that need to change, otherwise customer will be buying more online because they don’t have to deal with staff like I did.

Being too pushy

Here is something that staff need to pay very good attention to. Basically, it is listening to what the customer says and how they say it. We encountered a salesperson that wanted to help me find a size for something which we had already found ourselves. She then started to suggest another colour, which I then said, no, this is the one that I want. We then started to turn towards the cash, and she started to suggest I purchase either a vest or button up sweater to go with the top. I said no, that my sister was buying a sweater, so I didn’t need to get done. She then suggested another one that I could buy. I then said, “This is all thank you”, she finally got to behind the cash and immediately asked if I wanted to purchase some socks. I finally said, “This is all and if you suggest one more thing, I will be leaving the store without my purchase.” Her comment was, “I was just making suggestions.”

When someone says “This is all thank you” hear them say that and stop making other suggestions because if you keep making suggestions you will likely either lose the entire sale or the person will not return to the location because of how they were treated.

Getting upset with customers when they are looking for a size

Customers are not aware of how sizes are displayed in each store, and especially after a store has been opened for a few hours. We were looking for a small and there wasn’t one on the top of the pile, so we very carefully picked up some of the items to see if there happened to be a small lower down. The salesperson immediately came over and asked what size we were looking for, and we said small. Her comment was, “If we had a small, it would be on the top because that is how to arrange everything each morning before the store opens.”

I understand that is how the product is arranged at the beginning of the day, but are you telling me that it couldn’t have been changed since then. Also, the tone that she used could have been a lot different and maybe just saying, “It should be on the top” would have been a lot better. After this, we then left the store because of how we were treated. It was like we were not allowed to pick up the product and look at it. Gee, they may have got a larger purchase if we could have looked more because yes, we were looking for a small in one top, but we may have picked up others tops as well. Instead, the store lost a sale, and we left frustrated.

Respecting customers

If there are customers looking at items either on a shelf or on a table, do not walk between them and the items. We had a salesperson walk between us and a table so that she should go and help someone else. There was lots of room behind us, so why would you interfere with what we were looking at. Of course, this meant that we left the store without getting anything because it was like we were basically invisible. Sure, the salesperson said “excuse me” but still not watching where she was walking isn’t good. The store wasn’t extremely busy, so there was lots of room around us and in other aisles, so she could have

These are just a few things that happened on one shopping trip. Customer service is very important, and salespeople need to understand that assisting customers is their role. Sure, they can make little suggestions, but listen to the customer. The customer is the person that helps make the money for the business or location and without the customers there is no money, so there is no salary. You never know who the person is that just walked into the store, they may not be dressed like they can spend lots of money, but you would be surprised. A lot of well-off people don’t dress up to go shopping because they want to be treated like everyone else.

Customers are the ones that keep a business open, so making sure that the sales staff understand that is very important. I am not sure why customer service has started to disappear, but it needs to return, otherwise more businesses are going to find that they cannot exist.