Customers at coffee bars often pop in and out in
an instant just to get a quick brew from a commercial coffee
machine.
But plenty of other people spend lots of time in there, sitting
at a table, ordering food and several drinks.
This means that the staff who work at coffee shops often have to
interact with customers a great deal, beyond simply telling them
how much their order costs.
But do cafe bars really make this a priority when it comes to
staff training? In these times of austerity, members of the public
are becoming far more particular about when and where they spend
their money.
With the coffee shop sector now highly competitive, a customer
who has a less than perfect experience at a certain shop or with a
particular brand can simply go elsewhere with no effort at
all.
But coffee shops that are dependent on people coming through
their doors and buying coffee cannot afford to lose a single
customer, both for financial reasons and because of the possible
reputational damage.
As a result, taking the issue of customer service lightly would
be commercial suicide and a sure-fire way to send people straight
into the hands of rival companies.
Coffee shops need to concentrate on delivering good service and
presenting an appealing and desirable proposition in the window and
on the counter.
And while commercial and financial concerns may be foremost on
the mind of a coffee shop owner, it is important not to make this
obvious to the customer. The only thing that should come across is
their desire to keep patrons happy and satisfied.
People are tightening the purse strings in this climate of job
insecurity and rising inflation, so nothing that can possibly give
a customer-facing business a competitive advantage should be
overlooked.