What makes a happy, memorable customer experience? Ask a handful of different demographics and you’re likely to get a dizzying array of diverse answers.

However, it is generally accepted that good customer service ticks the following boxes:

Great Communication Skills

A friendly smile and some amusing banter can make a customer’s day and put a spring in their step. Human beings are tribal and quite loyal by nature. If a customer enjoys the great communication they receive at an establishment, they’ll keep coming back for more.

However, “great communication skills” can sometimes mean knowing when not to talk. If a customer is on the way to work or in the middle of a difficult day, hearing what the barista had for breakfast may not be exactly what they’re looking for. Having great communication skills means tuning into the needs of the customer.

Product Knowledge

This is a big one. Whether it is a supermarket, a café cart or a silver service restaurant, there’s nothing more frustrating for customers than asking seemingly simple questions that can’t be answered.

Schedule regular meetings with your staff to bring them up to speed with any product changes. There’s nothing more impressive than a waiter who knows the menu back to front, plus can recommend complementing dishes or drinks from a place of knowledge.

Patience and Problem Solving

Patience is a really important component of good customer service. There are going to be times when things unexpectedly break down or go wrong. Train your staff (and yourself) in alternative solutions, dealing with complaints and being calm as the proverbial cucumber under pressure.

Efficiency

This last point is arguably the most important. The world we live in feels busier and busier…so no-one likes to be kept waiting. One of the key things you can offer is well-planned efficiency.

Your staffing is key – make sure all your employees know which areas they are covering, and what their core responsibilities are.

Beyond all that, consider this: ever have a lovely meal and then had to wait half an hour to pay the bill? No matter how delightful the food, this kind of experience can leave a sour taste. Make sure your payment systems are as slick as the service. Your Point of Sale (POS) systems are key to this process, i.e. the apparatus and software you have in place.

Luckily, there are hospitality POS systems that are tailored to the needs of this industry. Utilise special features such as the ability to split the bill or track inventory to improve your overall efficiency and impress customers into coming back.

If your customer service and efficiency are ticking the above boxes, you’ll be on the right track to success.

Running a business in a warehouse setting and maintaining efficiency is a challenge. However, the nature of it creating a proactive approach is critical, mostly because it allows you to make valuable cost savings and establish an edge over your competitors.

New to owning a home? Congratulations. Home ownership is one of life’s greatest goals. But in buying yourself a house, you’ve done something else you might not have realized. You’ve inherited a ton of work.
It’s been said that to own a home is to manage a state of decay. A not so positive way of saying that something is always going wrong in your house. When these things do crop up, you have two choices: you can either hire out or tackle the task yourself.
Do it yourself home maintenance is both rewarding and very cost effective. However, to do it, you do need some stuff. That in mind, read on for five tools every homeowner should have.

Fashion is one of those fields that don’t sleep. From evolving trends through to timeless classics – the world of style is an endlessly influential one. While we don’t dress the same way we did in the early 1900s, the ettique the era was known for still hovers. And that etiquette means knowing how to pair up garments and accessories to suit each occasion appropriately.