Coffee Shop Success: Establishing Your Business by Building Better Customer Service

Are you looking for a great way to differentiate your coffee shop from the other places in town to pick up a cup o’ joe? Look no further than your staff.

 

When you’re hiring for a counter or barista position, make sure that the candidate has a positive outlook and is someone who is honest and reliable. But in order to be sure that your new staffer is going to be able to pick up all the subtleties of working your shop, make sure that they want to learn – to learn about coffee and to learn about customer service.

 

While it is important to be sure that your staff knows as much as possible about the coffees you serve – where they come from and what characteristics each has – the coffee is only part of the equation.

 

The other important factor for all of your staff to know is how to provide exceptional customer service.

 

One element of customer service is the ability to convey your company’s message. Make sure that your staff understands the philosophy and the values that you have founded your company on.

 

The values that you had in mind when you set up your business are the key to defining your target market. By conveying these to your staff, they will be better able to provide the quality, convenience and satisfaction that your customers are looking for.

 

When you are selling coffee – something that your customers could purchase just about anywhere else – it is important to make sure that your product is excellent. But through exceptional customer service, you can ensure that your customer’s experience is above average as well.

 

When you combine a fantastic product and great customer service, your coffee shop will provide a greater value to your customer.

 

This value will be enhanced because your product will be more accessible to your customers. Your product will come to them with minimal effort in a timely fashion.

 

By providing a service to your customers and meeting their expectations, you will build customer loyalty: a satisfied customer is most likely to be a repeat customer.

 

So, how do you satisfy your customers? One way is to provide the quality of product and service that they expect. Another is to fulfill their need for emotional gratification.

 

Every customer that comes through your door hopes to get timely service and the expected quality of the item they purchase. By listening to and communicating with your customers, your staff will aid in building relationships with them.

 

By conveying a positive feeling and using a friendly tone, your staff will develop a relationship with each individual customer. By knowing the customer’s name and drink, your staff will ensure that your customers feel welcome in your shop.

 

This can benefit you further as a shop owner: when you cater to your customer’s needs, you will be able to better foresee additional expectations that your customers have. You will also be able to rely on your customers to come to you with compliments and constructive criticisms to help you improve your business.

 

The role of the customer is vital. By allowing them to tip your staff, your staff will also learn the value of great customer service: the more they put in to pleasing your customers, the better the return they will see in their tips.

 

In addition, you can continue to motivate your staff to provide the service that you and your customers expect from them. Encourage their loyalty by providing great benefits.

 

Though the term benefit usually implies health insurance or vacation time (and though both are great incentives for your staff), there are other small ways in which you can reward your staff for a job well done. By saying thank you regularly, your staff will be able to know what they are doing right.

 

Sometimes though, it helps to say thank you in more tangible ways. Consider tickets to the local movie theater or a gift certificate to a trendy restaurant in town. By rewarding your staff for a job well done, you will encourage them to continue to put in their best efforts.

 

And that, in turn, will encourage your customers to keep coming back, because the level of service in your coffee shop will be exceptional. And in that, everyone wins.

Coffee Shop Success: Establishing Your Business by Building Better Customer Service

Are you looking for a great way to differentiate your coffee shop from the other places in town to pick up a cup o’ joe? Look no further than your staff.

When you’re hiring for a counter or barista position, make sure that the candidate has a positive outlook and is someone who is honest and reliable. But in order to be sure that your new staffer is going to be able to pick up all the subtleties of working your shop, make sure that they want to learn – to learn about coffee and to learn about customer service.

While it is important to be sure that your staff knows as much as possible about the coffees you serve – where they come from and what characteristics each has – the coffee is only part of the equation.

The other important factor for all of your staff to know is how to provide exceptional customer service.

One element of customer service is the ability to convey your company’s message. Make sure that your staff understands the philosophy and the values that you have founded your company on.

The values that you had in mind when you set up your business are the key to defining your target market. By conveying these to your staff, they will be better able to provide the quality, convenience and satisfaction that your customers are looking for.

When you are selling coffee – something that your customers could purchase just about anywhere else – it is important to make sure that your product is excellent. But through exceptional customer service, you can ensure that your customer’s experience is above average as well.

When you combine a fantastic product and great customer service, your coffee shop will provide a greater value to your customer.

This value will be enhanced because your product will be more accessible to your customers. Your product will come to them with minimal effort in a timely fashion.

By providing a service to your customers and meeting their expectations, you will build customer loyalty: a satisfied customer is most likely to be a repeat customer.

So, how do you satisfy your customers? One way is to provide the quality of product and service that they expect. Another is to fulfill their need for emotional gratification.

Every customer that comes through your door hopes to get timely service and the expected quality of the item they purchase. By listening to and communicating with your customers, your staff will aid in building relationships with them.

By conveying a positive feeling and using a friendly tone, your staff will develop a relationship with each individual customer. By knowing the customer’s name and drink, your staff will ensure that your customers feel welcome in your shop.

This can benefit you further as a shop owner: when you cater to your customer’s needs, you will be able to better foresee additional expectations that your customers have. You will also be able to rely on your customers to come to you with compliments and constructive criticisms to help you improve your business.

The role of the customer is vital. By allowing them to tip your staff, your staff will also learn the value of great customer service: the more they put in to pleasing your customers, the better the return they will see in their tips.

In addition, you can continue to motivate your staff to provide the service that you and your customers expect from them. Encourage their loyalty by providing great benefits.

Though the term benefit usually implies health insurance or vacation time (and though both are great incentives for your staff), there are other small ways in which you can reward your staff for a job well done. By saying thank you regularly, your staff will be able to know what they are doing right.

Sometimes though, it helps to say thank you in more tangible ways. Consider tickets to the local movie theater or a gift certificate to a trendy restaurant in town. By rewarding your staff for a job well done, you will encourage them to continue to put in their best efforts.

And that, in turn, will encourage your customers to keep coming back, because the level of service in your coffee shop will be exceptional. And in that, everyone wins.

First Entry

Coffee fueled my studies in school. A French Press was the centerpiece of many a long conversation about books, music and movies. And in 2001, coffee became the focal point of my career.

After over three years as a professional cupper and analyst, I spent over a year managing a coffee shop.

I’ve tasted, I’ve analyzed quality, I’ve sold coffee, I’ve roasted greens.

And now I’m working on giving back. I want to share the knowledge I’ve gathered to help others in the coffee business succeed.