Service Solutions
Putting Your Customers First
Story by Nick Obourn
Illustrations by David Drouin

If one navigates Vancouver, B.C.-based Caffè Artigiano's Web site by first clicking on "the caffè," then clicking on "what customers are saying," one will find a series of beaming regulars willing to lend their name and promote the coffeehouse's good image. The tales range from a worldly traveler who always packs a pound of the coffeehouse's signature Black Cat blend on her adventures, to neighboring business owners who have frequented the coffeehouse since the very beginning. The testimonials on Caffè Artigiano's Web site are flattering signs that the business is succeeding, utilizing its talents throughout the chain connecting upper management to the customer. It's a sign that customers are happy and customer service lent a vital hand in that accomplishment.
   Caffè Artigiano is not the only coffeehouse on the map with customers willing to publicly pledge their allegiance. In almost every town in the world are coffeehouses that patrons will swear their undying devotion to, due in some capacity to the quality of the products, but also to the quality of customer service, an almost equally important factor. In one salient quote, Ed Arvidson, senior consultant for Eugene, Ore.-based Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, states the importance of customer service: "People aren't buying their coffee beverages from a vending machine, they are buying them from a human being." When a customer walks into a coffeehouse, the human touch makes all the difference. Bruce Milletto of Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup believes customer service "is really something that is all encompassing." It goes beyond what most people think of as customer service: the direct, immediate interaction between one customer and the employee helping them. "It's not only being able to remember peoples' names and serve them a really wonderful beverage quickly," says Milletto. "It goes into them being knowledgeable about coffee, being able to upsell and suggest other products, being able to help people and ask all the right questions."

More than Meets the Eye
The varied peripheral aspects of customer service are often thought of as less important than the direct interaction. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is the attention to detail, with hiring, training, scheduling, body language, interaction, comfort, trust, setting an example, and challenging your employees, with which the owner or manager can get the best customer service results.
   "First of all, if you're going to have good customer service, you're going to have to hire for it," says Arvidson. When a prospective employee walks through the door of your coffeehouse for their first interview, the ways he or she greets you and responds during the process will be a very important sign of their temperament. "You can't take somebody who isn't customer-service oriented and make them a good server," says Arvidson. Look for good eye contact, strong verbal skills and an eager personality. Try to imagine how training will go with this possible new employee, because after hiring comes training, in healthy doses, but hopefully not overabundant helpings.
   Training employees for good customer service is a bit like raising a child. It requires planning and a degree of intuition. "I think you really need to sit down and list all the aspects you need to train them on," says Arvidson. "Part of that relates to beverage and food preparation and service, part of that relates to interaction with the customer and customer-suggestive selling, part is everyday maintenance of the store. All those things need to be specified in writing." The coffeehouse you run will act as the world in which your new fledgling employees will have to cope. And, as children copy their parents, your new employees will mimic your actions. Therefore, it is paramount to set a good example for your employees to follow. Prepare your employees for all possible circumstances and educate them as well as possible about the inner workings of your operation and the specialty coffee business. As a specialty coffee consultant and owner of Portland, Ore.-based Whole Cup Consulting, Sherri Johns stresses the importance of training and education. "First, your building blocks: Coffee education and then espresso preparation, and then you swing into customer service," says Johns. "We do extensive training," says Vince Piccolo, owner of Caffè Artigiano. To work at his coffeehouse, which employs award-winning barista Sammy Piccolo, who took second place at the World Barista Championships in Trieste, Italy, employees need to know how to properly dose, properly tamp, how the espresso machine works, proper espresso extraction, the milk steaming process, etc. Books about coffee, such as The Perfect Cup by Timothy Castle, The Birth of Coffee by Daniel and Linda Rice Lorenzetti, Bean Business Basics by Ed Arvidson and Bruce Milletto, Espresso Techniques by David Schomer, Espresso Coffee: The Chemistry of Quality by various members of the Illy family are all good educational tools to use. Once the seeds of coffee education have been planted, and if they take root, the attention employees devote to the bean will translate into strong customer service.
      In a start-up operation, it is always difficult to be the omnipresent owner. There are often technical business affairs to attend to, along with the inherent problems that arise while starting your business. But nonetheless, the owner's presence at the service counter is essential for employees to properly understand customer service interaction. Arvidson likens the importance of an owner's counter presence to a general who aims his troops for battle. "Your employees are going to follow your lead, so [when] you're out there you lead by example." Presiding over counter activity also gives the employer a chance to see how his or her employees are working. At the counter, an owner or manager can gauge employee progress and watch for the small things that might expedite service. Body language can be observed closely from the counter area. Take notice of whether customers are being greeted as they enter the coffeehouse, "whether or not [employees] are meeting with someone else," says Johns. "If it's a glance, eye contact and a smile, or nodding in acknowledgment. They want to know that they are there." How are customers treated when they step up to the counter? Are they made to feel welcome?
   The counter is the ideal place to observe any changes that need to be made, whether they involve your employees or not. Are the condiments in the right place? Is the display case consistently clean? Are any impediments obstructing the flow of customer traffic or employee movement? The counter is also the place to construct your employee's work schedule based on the ebb and flow of your coffeehouse. The number of employees on the floor at one time can vastly affect your customer service. Understaffed coffeehouses are constantly trying to catch up, and running around flustered, rushing by customers is no way to run a business. "One of the most difficult things is scheduling. It's better to have an extra employee there, always err on the side of excess in the beginning," says Milletto.

Traffic Jams
Imagine your coffeehouse is a high-traffic area, a super highway of perambulating coffee consumers, each one ordering different things. If there were to be a plug in the flow of traffic, mayhem can easily result. And in the specialty coffee business frustrated customers equal one-time customers. If you are seeking to really create a loyal customer base, the design of your coffeehouse must work in symbiosis with your employees and customers. In fact, the design of your coffeehouse should operate as a silent accomplice to your warm-blooded customer service. "The design is going to immediately let the customer know where the entrance is, and should guide them to their order[ing] point, making it easy for the customer to understand where the flow is," says Johns. "Nobody wants to walk in and stand in the wrong line for ten minutes." Your menu will dictate the arrangement of equipment in the coffeehouse. "If you're just doing espresso and pastries it's a different thing than someone doing paninis, sandwiches, ice cream, smoothies, soup, and gelato," says Tom Palm, president of Wayzata, Minn.-based Design and Layout Services. "Where do I want that customer to start and end when they open that door?" asks Palm. "Where's the logical spot for them to be so there is good visibility [and] good traffic flow for the customer?" In other words, it makes no sense to place the espresso machine towards the front of the house. The line of people waiting for their specialty drinks could easily confuse customers walking in the door. Tom Palm suggests the following order for coffeehouse equipment: items such as whole bean coffee, hats, mugs, T-shirts, and gift baskets that are more impulse buy oriented should be towards the front of the house; the display case should be next; then the cash register; and somewhere in between the display case and the cash register should be a menu board to allow patrons last minute options.

K.I.S.S.
Although customer service can be tracked and managed with tips and small adjustments, the most important idea to keep in mind is: be courteous to customers. That is the fundamental law of good customer service. All the knowledge, education and perfect drink pouring won't do any good if you aren't smiling and welcoming when the customer walks up to the counter. "I think more than anything else good customer service is just plain common sense," says Milletto. Remember, the coffeehouse is a place where people go to seek respite, and it is the responsibility of the coffeehouse and all those involved to create that atmosphere.

Nick Obourn is the associate editor of Fresh Cup. He can be reached at nick@freshcup.com.