Whether you operate a fine dining venue or a fast food restaurant, communication is essential to harnessing positive client interactions with your restaurant guests. Regardless of the channel (email, phone, texting, or in person), your ability to communicate effectively significantly impacts customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, sales, reputation, and the overall success of your business.
In this article, we’ll explore key areas to focus on for more effective customer communication. By implementing some of the strategies below, you can build better customer relationships, allowing your restaurant to thrive. Let’s get started.
Personalize the Experience
What we mean by being personal with customers isn’t telling them your deepest, darkest secrets. Instead, greeting a customer by name or wishing them a happy birthday (if specified in the reservation notes) is a great way to leave a good impression and make your interactions more personal. It also helps to share a bit about yourself and find mutual connections or interests to establish a deeper relationship.
Being personal with customers means tailoring your language and offerings to their specific needs. A restaurant CRM can help you collect and track details about your customers to easily deliver personalized service. As guests book reservations, detailed guest profiles are automatically built with information such as contact data, special occasions, dining preferences, and visit history.
You can use these guest profiles to elevate the customer experience while they’re dining or to personalize marketing emails instead of sending a cold stock email. Use a friendly tone when speaking with customers and tailor your offerings to their unique needs and preferences.If they are bringing a pet, send them a pet-friendly menu to show another personalized touch. By personalizing your approach, you show interest in their needs and an investment in providing them with a memorable experience.
Respond promptly
Customer queries can come at any time, whether through email, text, or in person. While you can’t expect employees to always answer customer questions outside of business hours, you should respond as promptly as possible.
Even if you can’t answer a query immediately, it’s a good idea to let customers know someone is looking into their issue. Setting up an auto-response email that lets customers know their message has been received and someone will get back to them soon is an effective solution. Just be sure someone follows up as promised.
Your customers should easily be able to contact you, whether you display that information on your website, business card, social media profiles, or takeout menu. If a customer can’t easily find your phone number or address, they may take their business elsewhere.
By showing interest in each customer query and responding in a timely manner, your customers will feel comfortable engaging with your business. Should a problem arise, you’ll easily be able to track and manage the situation before it damages your customer relationship or reputation.
Master your listening skills
Active listening skills are crucial to excellent customer service. By actively listening to your guests, you can better assess their needs, concerns, issues, preferences, and desires. Demonstrating empathy shows customers you care about their needs, a fundamental aspect of turning an unhappy customer into a happy one.
In any relationship, we have the desire to be heard and understood. When you practice active listening and pay attention to what your customers are communicating without bias, you can clarify any potential misunderstandings and ensure you’re both on the same page.
Building trust between you and your customers makes it easier to create loyal, repeat customers who choose your restaurant every time.
First impressions matter
Your first interaction with a customer has the potential to bring in repeat and new business. By being polite, and friendly, and exceeding expectations for your first interaction, you foster a positive relationship with customers.
A first impression not only reflects the people involved but also on your business as a whole. Employees who interact with customers are representatives of your restaurant. The impression your employees’ actions leave customers with directly correlates to that customer’s perception of your business. If an employee is friendly, helpful, and professional during their first interaction with a new customer, it will reflect positively on the business overall.
Customer Communication = Customer Satisfaction
Overall, effective communication is essential to the success of your business. You can have the best products in the world, but if your employees can’t communicate with customers, don’t expect them to succeed as they should. By implementing strategies like active and empathetic listening, a solid first impression, and being personable, your business will be known for its exceptional customer service.
Katelyn Andrews
Katelyn is the Content Marketing Manager for SevenRooms. She spent the earlier part of her career in the restaurant business as an event planner and manager but now spends her time writing for the industry she loves.
Katelyn Andrews
Content Marketing Manager
SevenRooms