Improving Customer Hospitality

Key	Action Steps
Smiling Faces	Managers set the example every day Never hire anyone who doesn’t smile Have in-store “Best Smile” or “Friendliest Person” contests
Hire friendly people	Use the interview guide with an emphasis on “customer orientation” Never hire anyone who is not friendly Set the standard from the beginning. Smiling and being friendly is required
Create an environment that is enjoyable to work in	Choose a positive attitude at the door Make work fun and challenging for team members Remember to praise in public and redirect in private Catch people doing things right!
Have a great hostess everyday	Ensure that your hostess is a genuinely friendly and outgoing person Train your hostess that attending to customer’s needs is the first priority Praise your hostess often when you observe friendly behavior
Keep store properly staffed	Have a good plan everyday to ensure you have enough people to take care of the business; especially during peak times When working shorthanded, don’t allow stress to cause unfriendly behavior
Use genuine, cheerful greetings	All managers set the example in greeting customers Spend time training team members how to greet Make sure all customers feel welcome as they enter
Place the friendliest people in customer contact positions	Encourage the friendliest team members to become frontline personnel Give incentives to team members for working front line
Improve telephone and speaker etiquette	Teach everyone what a “smile in your voice” sounds like Good training on how we answer the telephone Good training on how we answer the speaker using the “golden rules of drive thru
Have a customer appreciation day	Have a customer appreciation day on your store’s anniversary date Give customers gifts on that day, i.e. Balloons, cake, etc.