ProSuccess Magazine (Fall 2001)

Call Customers ©

by Paul C. Paz

www.WaitersWorld.com

As an entrepreneur running my own place (station) I have always relied on repeat
business: the call customers. No matter who they are I have always welcomed them
to my business as they are not only wonderful guests to serve. they are my
"bread-n-butter". They come in more often, are more willing to favorably
consider my suggestions, usually provide a higher level of income, and are my
primary source of the time proven "word of mouth advertising".

An associate of mine, Sheri has probably the highest number of call customers I
have ever witnessed. Even I'm envious of the customer base she has built for
herself. On a busy Saturday night customers will announce to the host that they
won't have anyone but Sheri wait on them. And they're willing to wait 30-45
minutes for an open table in her station. I have often traded tables with her so
she could accommodate the high number of call customers. And Sheri, being the
consummate professional, would be so apologetic for taking one of my tables and
always offers her next open table to me so that I too could earn an income for
the shift.

What is fantastic is that she never takes her call customers for granted. I have
heard too many times over the years, "Oh it's just so-n-so! No hurry. they come
in all the time! It won't hurt for them to wait a minute". WRONG! Call customers
are cultivated because they feel they are treated special. not because they're
ignored. And Sheri acknowledges her call customers with urgency, precision, and
animated hospitality!

So what's the financial impact on the waiter and the owner? One of our regular
call customers is a widower senior citizen who comes in at least three times a
week. Sometimes he'll sit at a two-top and sometimes he'll want a four-top. His
dining routine is so established that all the staff knows that he likes his
Manhattan "up" with a cherry and a twist. Now he usually orders the same entrée
and leaves the same tip. $4. Some of my associates do not care to wait on him.
But I find him easy to serve, a very pleasant person, and his $4 gratuity three
times a week. 52 times a year. equals the annual premium for my auto insurance!
He also represents $4,212 in sales for my employer.

This all sounds simple enough but what are some of the reasons that call
customers become such regulars. First is meeting your customer's basic
expectations. A great example is restaurants trying to duplicate the
friendliness of their advertisements. Many times the diner's expectations are
raised only to arrive at the advertised restaurant and encounter that "who
cares" attitude from many of the staff! Is everyone prepared for the basics: do
they know the soup du jour or daily special? Does your establishment "walk the
talk"?

Is there consistent and sustaining signature service? A perfect example is the
host staff. Do they always face towards the front door, greet every guest with
in 2 seconds, and how many customer's can they address by name, table or waiter
preferences? I recently had a young couple become regulars for one primary
reason: I addressed their two twin boys by their names (Clark and Kent) during
their first visit. Their second visit to the restaurant I remembered their names
and the parents were amazed! Our establishment just secured loyal regular
customers and it all had to do with acknowledging and addressing our customers
as visiting us before.

And what can waiters do at the table that demonstrates signature service to
generate a new base of regular call customers? Over the years I have learned
that each operation has challenges for diners that are subtle and many times
overlooked by the staff. For example, dark lighting for mood setting can also be
a problem for reading your menu. And print style or size on your menu (combined
with the dimmed mood lighting) can make it almost impossible to read. I took the
initiative and now carry with me a creditcard size, plastic magnifying glass
that I present to my customers when they are displaying behavior suggesting they
can't read the menu. (I.E. arms extended and moving the menu closer and/or
farther for focus). I also carry my AAA battery hi-intensity mini flashlight to
offer my customers to illuminate the menu for reading. In both instances I
usually get that wonderful utterance, "Oh!" (Which is such a perfect sound of
success)! What I provide is signature service that started with my seeing a
problem (reading the menu) and then solving it (magnifying glass and
flashlight). Both the problem and resolution are so simple that both
restaurateurs and waiters routinely OVERLOOK it! The fatal error is that too
many times the staff approaches these situations with an attitude of no big deal
and misses that fantastic opportunity to solve the diner's problem with a simple
effort. In turn, that simple effort is often perceived by the diner as signature
service resulting in a new call customer.

In Jeffrey Gitomer's book, "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty
is Priceless", he addressees the difference between satisfied customers verses
loyal ones. He says, "Satisfied customers will shop anyplace. LOYAL customers
will fight before they switch. AND they will proactively refer people to buy
from you."

Gitomer's challenge is " How do you make customers loyal? It's easy -- you
concentrate on loyalty instead of satisfaction. It's a mindset combined with an
understanding of the concepts and a dedication to take actions (perform) in new
ways. The reward is a loyal customer -- the consequence is a lost customer -- or
at least a wishy-washy one.

His book says further: "I'm Satisfied. What is a satisfied customer? One that
felt OK about dealing with you. Their needs were met. The product was OK. The
service was OK. The experience was OK. They are satisfied (happy) with their
purchase. They may or may not talk about the experience. They may or may not
refer someone to you. Their overall feeling about you is between neutral and
positive, and their experiences with you have not been negative. Not bad. but
not great."


Gitomer clarifies the distinctions: "I'm Loyal... What is a loyal customer? One
that felt GREAT about dealing with you. Their needs were met and/or exceeded.
Your delivery was GREAT. The service was GREAT. The experience was GREAT. They
are ecstatic with their purchase. They will proactively talk about the
experience. They will proactively refer someone to you. Their overall feeling
about you is wonderful and their experiences with you have been memorable. WOW!
The real challenge of loyalty. Make me want to come back. Make me want to tell
others."

As a career waiter of over twenty-one years I learned from one of my many
professional hospitality mentors that the most expensive table in the house. is
that empty one. That empty table is an expense and can only be paid for by
having customers use it. Promote the nurturing atmosphere of establishing a
loyal call customer base and make sure that all call customers get the waiter
they request. It's a win-win for everyone: the waiter, the owner. and most
importantly the customer!



Reprinted with permission from ProSuccess Magazine and published by

Bernard Martinage
Certified Dining Room Master,
Certified Hospitality Educator,
Founding President
The Federation of Dining Room Professionals (FDRP)
115 Franklin Turnpike #100
Mahwah, NJ 07430
USA (877) 264-FDRP Toll Free
(201) 995-0033 Phone
(201) 995-0433 Fax
info@...
www.restaurantprofessional.com


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