When we think of stellar customer service in the restaurant industry, Chick-fil-A is the first example that pops into our minds.
Why is that? It’s because Chick-fil-A has built a culture where their employees are valued above everything else. Their employees are the solid foundation that supports the company, they are the ones that are responsible for upholding Chick-fil-A’s tremendous reputation. Their employees never fail to provide 5-star customer service, and it all stems from the culture of their organization.
“Culture is the soul of an organization.” - Dee Ann Turner
Leadership establishes the vision for the culture, but it the employees who live and breathe it. This is why it’s crucial to have stellar employees working in your restaurant.
Chick-fil-A's success has stemmed from their culture, their employees genuinely believe in the company and vice versa. Employees feel like they're apart of something bigger than themselves, and they feel valued in their workplace. Here are three ways that they have been incredibly successful:
They have employees who share the same core values and believe in the company's vision. Their employees want to be apart of a winning team that provides stellar customer service, and they leverage their customer service as their brand differentiator.
If your restaurant doesn't have employees whose values align well with your company, it isn't a good fit. You want to make sure that your staff consists of individuals who believe in the restaurant and its vision. You want to hire all-stars who see the value in personal growth and improving for the good of the business.
"It's about getting the best people, retaining them, nurturing a creative environment & helping to find a way to innovate." - Marissa Mayer
Chick-fil-A invests in their employees because they believe in them, they understand the importance of growth. They provide their employees the opportunity to advance within their careers, and they believe it’s important to have transparency with their employees.
A crucial part of their operations is to engage guests in their culture. From the moment a customer walks into the restaurant until they leave, they experience 5-star customer service. Stellar customer service stems from their culture and their employees make sure to provide it to every customer that they interact with.
Chick-fil-A’s employees genuinely love working at the restaurant, and this is evident through their unwavering and unparalleled customer service. Their customer service is what sets them apart from the competition, it is their differentiator.
As a restaurant owner, you face intense competition from the oversaturated restaurant market. In order to set yourself apart, you need to provide 5-star customer service. Prices and products can easily be replicated, but customer service cannot.
Hoptix720 is the first system available that lets restaurant owners quantify their customer service, you can now measure how well your staff is performing.
This is important because you know have a way to measure your speeds of service, and what we know is that what's measured improves. It is very easy to pinpoint certain opportunities where your customer service can improve, and this is where training and coaching come into play.
Providing opportunities for your employees to grow is important for two reasons:
You can use the video clips to best train your employees, they will have higher retention rates with video because it is the number one training tool. What you'll start to notice is that certain employees will be taking full advantage of their training and start to excel.
These are the employees that you reward with praise and they get assigned to the better shifts. Your employees will start to become more fulfilled with their jobs, and they'll stay longer because they're engaged. This will help you combat employee turnover costs which can be between $3,500 and $5,500 per employee.
Restaurants that have a culture that is enticing for employees will attract all-stars. Word will start to get around that employees genuinely like working at your restaurant, and this is when great talent starts to find you. Now you're known as an employer of choice, and this is the first step to becoming a restaurant of choice.
"Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability." - Anne M. Mulcahy
Engaged employees are more invested into their jobs, and they produce better customer service. When customer service improves, customer retention will increase as well. Higher customer retention leads to an increase in customer loyalty, you'll start to develop season ticket holders at your restaurant.
Satisfied employees stem from a culture where they are valued, and these employees end up providing 5-star customer service. When you have a culture that your employees believe in, success is inevitable. Now that you're becoming an employer of choice with a culture that attracts all-star employees, you'll become a restaurant of choice for customers.
