We’ve all heard the old adage that “a happy customer will tell 5 people about their experience with you whereas an unhappy customer will tell 15” but have you really stopped to think about how you can ensure your customers are happy customers?
My husband and I recently set aside a “child free” night to spend quality some time with each other without the constant demands and distractions that come with having children. Don’t get me wrong, I love nothing more than spending time with our two beautiful children, but after the “witching hour” kicks in, nothing makes me happier than having some “down” time!
So, we scheduled a babysitter, booked a hotel room for the night (yes- a bit decadent =)) and we were ready to go. The only detail missing was where we were going to go for dinner? We had often driven past a boutique pizza restaurant near our house, which, from outside certainly did not appear to be the type of place that would appreciate a monster stroller sitting near the table, nor food smeared on a highchair. So, in the past we’d always driven by on our way to find somewhere more “child friendly” to eat. Now, with hours of freedom up our sleeves, we decided to walk in.
The smell of freshly baked wood oven pizzas attacked our nostrils upon walking through the door and the place was abuzz with chatter, laughter and general happiness. We approached the waiter who greeted us with a huge smile but was shocked to hear that we didn’t have a reservation. It turns out that a function was being held there that night, with all tables inside the restaurant booked. Now, the night could have gone one of two ways; the waiter could have politely told us that they were fully booked and he would not be able to serve us on this night or, he could have “gone the extra mile” to ensure our night went smoothly.
Thankfully, the waiter opted for the latter. He quickly organized for a table to be place right outside the restaurant on the footpath and set the cutlery happily as we were seated. Although obviously busy inside with the function, he continued to return to our table throughout our meal to ensure we were happy, had full glasses and enjoying our much deserved night out. He had gone the extra mile for us, and as a result we have been speaking the praises of this restaurant to everyone we meet.
Not only did the exceptional service on this evening make our night a special one, but he earned himself a generous tip, and quite possibly will be seeing us return when we next make time to have a child-free night. This waiter may not have known our circumstances; that we have two young children, both work full time, and very rarely get the chance to spend time as we were “pre-child”. But his exceptional service and general good humor certainly went a long way to helping us relax and realize that we need to make an effort more often.
I suppose the morale of the story is that a happy customer is one who feels valued and special and that your staff need to take every step to ensure that each customer leaving your venue feels like this.
What great customer experience have you had lately that has made you a customer for life?
I had a similar experience the other night at a restaurant around the corner from me. I had a reservation, but unfortunately they had not been able to turn my table yet. The hostess personally walked me over to the bar and told the bartender to set me up with a free drink while I waited for them to get my table ready. Definitely wasn’t expecting that type of treatment…but made them stand out for sure!