IMPROVE YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE

And Now The Bill

Many places will not split a bill , dont know why , as it is helping the customer and going some way to give at least a bit of service.

In some establishments I can understand why when they struggle to use a calculator.

Anyway back to the Alma Hotel.

It was now time to pay the bill.

I asked if we could just pay our share ( 2 people ) and it was then that the waitress noticed that the bill she had given us was not ours but a duplicate of the table next to us.

She then noticed that she had not charged some items to the next table and proceeded to ask them for more money after she had finalised their bill.All this while we were still there and waiting.

I would have said that going after the $10 owing was a bit too late considering the bill had been finalised.

It was then onto our bill.

I then wanted to see a copy of our bill as she said she was now unable to give us one and wanted us to go on " blind faith " that she was correct.

After 10 minutes she was able to get a copy of our bill from the machine and we worked it out amongst ourselves about paying.

I felt sorry for the poor girl serving us and it is in no way her fault , just lack of training.

So the lessons for customer service here are:

• It's not that hard to split the bill
• Train your staff in the use of their equipment
• If you make a mistake - for customer relations sometimes you should wear it
• Be accurate in what you do
• Serve and finalise one customer at a time when completing a bill dont " chop & change"

Substitutions And Service

On the heels of the specials saga comes the substitutions saga .

At the Alma Hotel I had "Goody's Seafood Basket" and asked not to have the prawns , still wanted the calamari , piece of fish , scallops

Normally in restaurants you would receive extra of something else , say calamari or scallops as you did not want or could not eat one particular item.

Not at the Alma Hotel this night.

My meal was identical in quantity of items presented minus the prawns as i compared it to someone else's on the next table that I knew.

I know times are hard but if you want to give people a memorable meal it pays to go just that bit further and think about things from the customers viewpoint not from a " dollar viewpoint".

It all boils down to customer service and putting the disciplines in place to make sure your customers are looked after and catered for in a way that will encourage repeat business.

Please note:  The photo is not the meal I had 

Knowing Your Specials Will Increase Your Sales

Had dinner with friends the other night at the Alma Hotel in Adelaide on Magill Rd.

We sat down at our table , were given menu's , ordered drinks and settled down to peruse the menu.

After a few minutes our " waiter " ( I use that term loosely ) came to take our order and here is where the problem started.

I asked what the specials were , not an unreasonable request I thought , and was told , "they are on the specials clipboard " that he had left at the end of the table ( it was a table of 12 ). He had no intention of telling me the specials just pointing me in their general direction ( and to be totally honest I don't think he had any idea what they were ).

Specials are designed to ease the pressure in the kitchen for the cooks/ chefs and are relied upon especially on busy nights.They are usually good profit lines that can be largely prepared before the night begins and can assist in the flow of meals from the kitchen.

To be totally honest are we expecting too much from waiters , waitresses to remember 6 to 8 lines and have a general knowledge of the other lines on the menu.

Restaurants and dining establishments ,that do, generally reap the rewards of increased sales and a bit less pressure in the dining room.

It's all about customer service.

On Wednesday I will talk about the next aspect of this meal and customer service lessons that can be learned.

It's Time To Go , Not When Your Ready Though

So you've finished your dinner at a restaurant and there is just your table and another one left.
The waiter has not approached you in a while for another drink / coffee and it is becoming obvious that they want you gone.
The waiter then roars into view and clears all glasses from the table and informs you that you can pay anytime.
This is their way of saying " hurry up I want to go home "
How about a bit earlier in the night saying , we are doing last drinks? , would you like a coffee? , would you like to see a desert menu?
This showed a complete lack of customer service and training on the restaurants part ,and in this competitive age neglecting basics can result in customers voting with their feet , straight out the door.