My sister is a lovely person. One of three I have. They’re all lovely.
She’s also very conflict averse. Prefers to keep the peace rather than speak her mind. How she really feels is different from what she feels comfortable communicating.
Customers are different in the sense that they are not uncomfortable communicating the minutiae of their wants and needs. They ask for more drinks, more food, longer opening hours and more alternatives.
So the menu grows. More stock comes in. Preparation becomes slower. Waste increases.
Where they are the same as my sister is that what they’re communicating is not always what they want.
Turns out the customer isn’t always right.
A request isn’t demand
Someone asking you to add matcha to the menu isn’t going to order it three times a week. A customer may want better coffee but only until better coffee costs more. They’ll appreciate the barista’s craft only until the queue stops moving. They love a hidden café until they can’t find parking.
Watch what happens at the till
Customer feedback can tells you what people find interesting. Sales tell you what they’re willing to pay for.
A new drink might attract plenty of attention, look fantastic on instagram and sell well during its first week.
The more useful question is whether people order it again.
Repeat purchases reveal demand. Compliments don’t.
When several customers ask for something, test it before making it permanent. Run it as a special. Bring in limited stock.
Then watch what happens.
Did people buy it? Did they come back to buy it again? Did it increase the bill, or replace something that was already selling? Did the extra preparation affect service?
Listen for the problem
Customers often suggest a solution when they’re trying to describe a problem.
“We need more choice” could merely mean they haven’t found a drink they like. “You should stay open later” may come from somebody who visits once a month. “The service is too slow” might have more to do with ordering, payment or collection than the time spent making coffee.
Take the comment seriously. But look beyond what was suggested as a fix.
Build around repeated behaviour
Customer comments shouldn’t automatically become operating decisions.
Listen to what they ask for. Look at what they buy.
Pay even closer attention to what they buy again. That’s when preference becomes behaviour.
What people say is a clue. What they repeatedly do is what you build around.
Such a great article!
I'd argue that in a slightly different but still related way, this extends to staff.
I remember when we switched to Square at one of our cafes, a staff said it was a disaster and that we should switch back.
I asked why.
Because people wanted paper receipts still and were complaining.
So I asked him to track how many of these requests came in each week.
It was a handful, at best.
The solution? Walk people through the digital option once. They'll adapt.