Category: Customer / Guest Service
The Industry's Love / Hate Relationship with Yelp: Yelps Responds
September 2nd, 2010To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.
The Industry's Love / Hate Relationship with Yelp
August 25th, 2010To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.
It seems that a group (11 to be exact) had booked the place for one guest's 30th birthday. Let's just say that at the end of their 3 day stay, the guests were unhappy (well at least the 2 that Yelped about it), the owner was unhappy, and their was a question of cost of damages (stained carpet that the carpet cleaners could not fix). Any hotel or B&B stay that involves a call to the cops is probably not going to have a happy ending. 
Are Your Specials Losing You Customers?
August 13th, 2010To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.
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Daily Specials & Pricing: Are You Losing Customers by Having Specials?  It happened again. My girlfriend and I sat down and were perusing the lunch menu when the server approached. "We have some specials," he stated, and proceeded to tell us a couple of dishes that were lunch specials for that day. "What's better," I asked, "the house cured salmon dish on the regular menu or the ahi special?" "Oh the ahi special is exceptional!" he told me. Decision made.Our lunches came, and the ahi special was lovely. Two pieces of seared ahi atop a small amount of veggies, including fingerling potatoes and tomatoes. It was nicely presented and tasty. Definitely a light lunch dish, maybe 7-8 ounces altogether, a la carte, so this small plate was the lunch special in its entirety. Our lunch was nice.... until the bill came. Did I mention that the server had neglected to state the price of the ahi special? It turns out that it was $29.95. Fully double the price of this restaurant's average lunch entree; the house cured salmon dish I had considered was $16. Now, maybe it's just my opinion, but I believe that there are two options a restaurant has in regard to  specials and pricing. The server should clearly state the price when telling the guests about the special OR the price of the special should fall into the average range of the rest of the entrees on the menu. This restaurant did neither. And what is the cost to a restaurant who does neither? It costs them customers...In the short run, perhaps they make a few extra bucks. Hey, why not get $30 instead of our usual $15? In the end though, they lose. It turn what had been a nice lunch, with the restaurant getting high marks, into a situation where both of us left with a bad taste in our mouth. Did I mention that my friend was buying? She was shocked, and I felt terrible. Not the impression you want your customers to leave with, is it? What's your opinion?Email me! -Margie You need to know what your customers think! Call me at 707-933-0687 or email me for a customer guest satisfaction survey quote! 
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They're Talking About You... What' the Buzz About Your Business?
May 25th, 2010
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They're Talking About You... Who? Your customers of course! We all know that customers who have a poor experience talk about it to far more people than those who have a good experience, it's just human nature. And these days, they yelp about it as well! Social media has added a whole new dimension to 'spreading the word,' and often that word is damaging. And what's worse, most of the time you don't even realize that you had an unhappy customer. If you had known, then you would have had the opportunity to turn it around - before they started talking - or writing! - to anyone who would listen, or read. There are posts like this all over the various social networking sites:  And people don't just use review sites, but the word might be spreading other places as well, places where you won't be able to see it and comment, such as facebook:  "I tend to be non-confrontational, so I’m more likely to just never come back than to actually make a complaint unless I literally cannot eat the food." "...and I just didn’t bother to complain." "...we couldn’t even find someone to complain to." "Sometimes my order will be completely messed up and I won’t say anything about it. I don’t like confrontation." Personally, I don't care for customer feedback cards that are either placed on the table or given out with the check. In one restaurant,I were supposed to leave it with the server. What if it was the server I was unhappy with? Many people prefer not having to complain face to face, or may not wish to take the time if they are busy - or you are. On the other had, there is so much to be gained by doing online customer satisfaction surveys, including ease, cost and timeliness. A small business can gain extremely useful information; for example, a newly opened restaurant can find out how the customers found them, what they liked best, and whether they'll come back for more; perhaps saving them valuable advertising dollars. An analysis by Fred Reichheld, author of Loyalty Rules, found that even a 5% increase in customer retention rates will result in a 25% to 95% increase in profits (depending on the business). It definitely pays off to keep customers happy enough to return. Best to start asking your customers what they think, before you're confronted with a yelp such as this:
People are already talking. Your only option is to join the conversation. And to ask their opinion - before they share it with others. - Margie Do you need a custom guest satisfaction survey? Call me at 707-933-0687 or email me! Connect with me on WineAndHospitalityNetwork.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare or GoogleBuzz! |
When Good Ideas Become Bad Policy
May 13th, 2010Opt-in to receive our ezine
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When Good Ideas Become Bad Poilcy "I have a question. My daughter had dinner reservations to take me and my sister to dinner. My daughter and I were on time but my sister was running late. The restaurant would not seat us until my sister arrived. Is that normal? I can think of a million times when I show up to a restaurant and say, "there will be one more person joining us." We decided not to wait and instead went to another restaurant." I loved reading all the comments, that ran the gamut from "No way should a restaurant do that" to "Yes, it is reasonable and acceptable for a restaurant to do that." I thought it was fascinating, because to my thinking, everyone missed the point. The point wasn't whether the policy was good or bad, right or wrong, the point was that the customer left and went away (unhappily, and now posting for all the world to see, I might add). Sure, there might be good reasons for certain practices or policies, however if in implementing them you upset and/or lose your customers, is it really a good policy? Sometimes, in an effort to streamline or make things flow better, or easier on our staff, we forget the most important perception is the customers'; they are the reason your business exists. What are your thoughts? Would better staff training have given this story a different ending? Have you had an experience (either good or bad) with implementing a new policy? Let me know! - Margie
 Need a Customer Service or Employee Satisfaction Survey? all me at 707-933-0687 or email me! Connect with me on WineAndHospitalityNetwork.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquareor GoogleBuzz!  Search jobs and apply online at WineAndHospitalityJobs.com. To post your jobs or get resume database access, visit us out online at WineAndHospitalityJobs.com, call us at 707-933-0687 or email mailto:margie@otlconsulting.com.
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