Customer Feedback, Service and Interaction
This first post is more of a general one as I wish to keep these blog posts as short (they will get shorter!) and succinct as possible so people can read them with ease.
While working on my Wheelys bike I have started to really come to not only value but wholeheartedly appreciate customer feedback about my drinks (especially the coffee) whenever it arises. It is absolutely invaluable to have insight into what a customer truly thinks of your product.
While it is not always fitting to ask about a customers opinion (they may just want a quick coffee on the go), if a feeling of trust and goodwill is shared between customer and consumer before you ask them their thoughts then that can only be a good thing. Of course this will then open the doorway to those crucial questions like, ‘How’s your coffee?’ and ‘Do you like it?’
It’s often easier to have conversations with people you know for obvious reasons resulting in a more open conversation but then coffee might not be the topic and the ‘coffee people’ amongst us may be all to ready to say ‘the right thing’, whatever that may be!
From a personal perspective, with every customer I aim to truly grasp what it is that a customer is looking for in that moment. Perhaps they want to talk coffee, perhaps they simply are interested in what you’re doing. Either way it’s the barista’s job to not only provide tasty drinks but to welcome their needs with complete openness. This is something that I want to work on as I think it can be a useful trait in everyday life never-mind behind an espresso machine.
So if you’re a barista and you serve your next customer who perhaps is new to the world of ‘speciality’ coffee, be nice to them. Essentially that is part of our job. Ask them about their day, be interested in them and when you ask for feedback on what you made for them you might be pleasantly surprised.
