Anyone Can Take an Order
H
by Keith Levick
ere is a fairly simple question: Would you hire a person with poor communication skills, who flies off the handle when under pressure, and who is unaware of how his or her attitude affects others? Of course not! However, these people litter
workplaces across America, including restaurants. While they may be good at “taking the customer’s order,” some servers may lack the skills required to truly connect with the customers. Unfortunately, this disconnected attitude leads to poor customer and employee satisfaction and ultimately affects the restaurant’s bottom line — negatively. If you are truly trying to separate yourself from the pack, you
and neuroscience. Conceptually, EI is a broad term that focuses
on the menu and other food specialties unique to your restaurant.
the traditional areas of a person’s IQ and technical or business
have to commit to training your entire staff. You educate them Are they trained, however, in the interpersonal skills required
to exceed your customers’ expectations? Your hosts/hostesses,
servers and other employees are the ones with whom your customers will engage and interact. These front-line employees (and
managers) are critically important to the overall success of your business.
maintain positive relationships via managing emotions, trusting “gut” feelings, being aware of and attending to nonverbal communication, and by empathetically connecting with people.
Clearly, a server’s traditional intelligence is able to provide
him or her with an accurate answer if the food is not prepared
connect with their overall dining experience that affects the
rect response when an angry customer is casting aspersions or a
success of a business. Additionally, the importance of the server’s awareness of his or her own emotional state cannot be
overestimated. How can a server manage a disgruntled customer when he or she is unable to deal with his or her own negative
attitude? Feelings are contagious; but if one is emotionally tone deaf, the consequences could be widespread throughout
properly. A person’s IQ , however, often fails to provide the corco-worker accuses another of stealing his or her tips. Research
suggests that a person’s EI can explain a variance in job performance, all else being equal to another person. Research shows:
• There is a strong correlation between employees’ satisfaction and customers’ satisfaction
the restaurant.
• The hosts/hostesses and servers are the first and primary
employees) are ones who possess both traditional intelligence
• The hosts/hostesses, servers and buss-people’s observable
The most effective employees (leaders are also considered
Fall 2010
skills. A working definition of EI is the ability to build and
It is the ability to anticipate customers’ needs, be aware
of their emotional state, demonstrate empathy and truly
(IQ ) and “people skills” — emotional intelligence (EI). EI is
the hard science of people skills built on the split brain theory
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on one’s interpersonal competence and skills that fall outside
contact points for the customer
behavior drives the customers’ perceptions of the service quality of the restaurant
Customer Care News
Although the above bullet points are relevant to a restaurant’s
profit, the last bullet point is extremely significant. Here is why:
• One hundred satisfied customers generate 25 new •
customers A
five
percent
increase
in
overall
customer
retention equates to a 25 to 55 percent increase in profitability
• Negative word-of-mouth results in an 8.5 percent decrease in revenues
• When a customer is dissatisfied:
• Four percent tell management • Ninety-six percent go away
• Ninety-one percent never return When employees in the restaurant industry dem-
onstrate a lack of EI, it reduces customer and employee satisfaction, bottom
line.
and
directly
Building
affects
and
the
restaurant’s
maintaining
positive
relationships with customers and other employees is a
critical aspect of all job positions in a restaurant. emotional
intelligence,
therefore,
can
be
Fall 2010
Developing
both financially and professionally beneficial to restaurant employees. CCN
www.customercarenews.com
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