Customer service can make or break your ghost kitchen brand. It doesn’t matter how speedy your delivery, or how delicious your food is – if the service isn’t up to scratch, customers won’t come back.
Customer service is much more than just interactions with delivery drivers. It’s your ordering process, rewards and extras, complaints procedures, social media channels… the list goes on.
As a restaurant franchise owner, it’s impossible to be everywhere at once. So what’s to be done?
Today, we explain how to promote excellent customer service, cultivate strong customer relations and increase your sales.
5 ways to improve your customer service
1. Define your business mission
As the saying goes…. Know yourself.
Setting appropriate expectations with clear, consistent communication is the foundation of amazing customer service.
Great customer service starts with a thorough understanding of your virtual food brand and its unique business niche. Take the time to define what it is that sets your food and service apart, what you do best, who your customers are – and what they need and desire.
Armed with this information, you can meet your customers’ needs and communicate your core mission.
2. Seek and respond to feedback
Customer feedback is vital for improving your customer service. If you don’t know what impression people have of your ghost kitchen brand – how can you improve this?
Online forms and social media (offering customers a reward for answering questions, such as discounts or a free dessert) are a great way to encourage genuine feedback.
As part of this, don’t forget “real” feedback from staff and delivery drivers. You should also have a wealth of data on delivery and order fulfilment times, providing insights into what’s going well – and what needs improvement.
3. Empower your staff
Take the time to properly train your staff, make them feel valued and support their continuing professional development. Your employees are the face of your business and define your customers’ experiences.
If you set clear expectations and provide appropriate training for all consumer facing roles (including telephone manner, delivery protocol etc.), your staff will feel empowered in their jobs.
As part of this, don’t forget to reward and acknowledge employees who’ve gone above and beyond.
4. Turn negatives into positives
In the restaurant industry, we know things can go wrong from time to time. Whatever it is, the important thing to focus on is how you can turn a negative into a positive for your consumers.
If things go wrong, could you offer a replacement meal, voucher or free extras? Treat this as an opportunity to turn your diners’ experience around – making it clear you genuinely care about their experience.
5. Actions not words
Actions speak louder than words. So just like demonstrating your appreciation of your staff – how can you do the same for your customers?
This doesn’t have to be anything grand, but could be a personal thank you note, customised offers or that extra pot of dip for a customer who loves their sides. These little touches really do make a difference.
With our uniquely flexible virtual brand concepts, Peckwater Brands work alongside kitchen operators to generate extra orders and increased profits. Discover more about our brands and let’s get to work today.
Topics from this blog: Hospitality
