I suspect it’s not unreasonable to suggest that everyone in the world has a story about poor customer service. And thankfully today’s technologies are improving the opportunities for both sides of the equation to take action.

I was standing in the queue at our local bank yesterday. Let’s relive my Tweets (sent from my iPhone using the Tweetie app), I’d been there around for about five or six minutes, then finally boredom ensued and I hauled my phone out:
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Running our coffeeshop serves as a constant reminder of the importance of customer service (a topic I wrote about the other day in the post ‘Customer Service – It’s the People Stupid‘), as well as some important business lessons which are equally applicable in our internet ventures.

I wrote a post the other day about how running our little coffeeshop serves as a constant reminder about the importance of customer service. Today’s post covers how it also teaches some very useful business lessons.

Consistency and quality – we’re a food and beverage business and that adds an extra onus – we need to make sure we don’t hurt anyone. If you’ve worked in the food business, you’ll know how important it is to stick to the regulations and standards to ensure the food you sell is safe and healthy. The keys and consistency and quality. We use the best ingredients we can afford and we have clearly documented systems to make sure we deliver the best product every time. Successful chefs and restaurants are constantly innovating, plus maintain a high level of consistency and quality.

Running a coffeeshop provides some valuable business lessons

Routine and boredom – we’re open seven days a week, rain or shine. And because consistency is important, it means we do the same things everyday. And because routine is boring after a while, a key goal is to monitor the business to ensure that boredom doesn’t lead to decline of standards. Many business, particularly those that rely on a constant repetition of regular tasks, suffer the same issues. A great business finds a way to rise above the daily humdrum and remain constantly excited and invigorated.

Juggling demands – I’ve had phone calls at 7.30pm on a Thursday night (the last one while I was standing in the queue at our local fish and chip shop) from a staff member saying she couldn’t work the next day or weekend, because she’s started a new job. So in fact she couldn’t work any more of her rostered hours. Man that gets my goat – Gen Y, don’t get me started. But irrespective of the staffer’s birth year, this is reality. In a hospitality business you juggle the demands of staff, suppliers, customers, regulators – and your family because hospitality can also mean non-family friendly hours. If you can develop systems and processes to keeps these balls in the air, you’ve acquired skills that will strengthen your ability to run any business.

Product and stock management – food and beverage are obviously a major cost component of any cafe alongside labor and rent. Our business is very seasonal – for example at the moment it’s winter in Melbourne so we do a brisk trade in soups. Come the warmer weather salads will become more popular. Because we rely heavily on regulars we are constantly looking for new dishes to add to the menu so as not to become stale. Plus we monitor the ongoing quality and relevance of existing dishes in case there’s something that should be quietly retired, or given a rest for a couple of months. It’s a process of constant review and renewal.

No matter what business you run, online or offline, these factors are critical:

• Maintain consistency in service and quality
• Develop a routine and don’t fall into the boredom trap
• Learn to juggle the demands on your time and energy
• Review and renew your product offerings on a regular basis