With venues opening in the near future in what will be a very different world to the one we are used to we’ve taken a look at how venues can maintain excellent customer service. With customer and staff interactions to be at a minimum and capacity reduced it is clear that customer service will be altered to suit the new regulations.
- Customers love bar staff who put on a bit of a show, if they have the skills ask your bartenders to make drinks in front of the customers with a bit of flair. This tip of course is completely dependent on the atmosphere in your venue, if you’re a cocktail bar it will go down a treat, not so much if you’re customers are out for a quiet pint and a read of the newspaper! While customers may not be able to enjoy it while standing at the bar if you have a bar that customers can see from their seats your bar staff can still put on a bit of a show for everyone!
- If your venue does not offer table booking you are guaranteed to have queues. By having a menu online you can get staff to encourage waiting customers to take a look at it so they will be ready to go once seated. Always acknowledge the fact you are aware they are waiting and apologise for the delay – customers will be appreciative that you are aware that they have been waiting. Word of mouth goes a long way in this industry so it’s best to have a strategy for dealing with this situation before opening.
- Always make your regulars feel special and welcome, even at a distance as they are generally your best customers and tend to bring in a lot of revenue. These are the customers who will be first in the door when your venue is open again. A gesture of a round on the house always goes a long way.
- Always give your customers a 30 minute last call warning before you finish serving for the night – with shorter opening hours and reduced capacity this will be an important aspect of customer service.
- Always ensure your employees are aware of what constitutes correct behaviour and etiquette when it comes to interacting with your customers. It is vital that hygiene standards are met and interactions between staff and customers is kept at an absolute minimum.
- If your venue offers a table booking always make sure to leave a small number of tables un-reserved for walk in customers.
- If a customer does happen to have a bad experience in your venue, do as much as you can to turn the situation around as best you can. Even a gesture like a round of drinks on the house can turn a negative situation into a positive one!
- While staff requirements may be down it is essential that you have enough staff to work efficiently at the reduced capacity levels. With no standing at bars for drinks being a new requirement it is essential that you have enough floor staff to bring food and drinks to tables.
- Ensure you have visible hygiene stations set up for staff and customers – this will show customers you are doing everything you can to adhere to all hygiene standards set out by the government.
