With coffee shops popping up around every corner, there is one sure way to differentiate your shop from the competition: by offering unique, personalized customer experience. What if, instead of serving as just a morning errand, visiting your coffee shop felt like an experience for your guests? Here are ten easy ways to delight your customers and keep them coming back for refills for years to come.
1. Look for ways to be generous
Every business owner has to be conscious of the bottom line and watch unnecessary expenses. Sometimes, however, an act of generosity can pay for itself many times over in the goodwill and customer loyalty it creates. If a guest forgets their wallet, make their favorite drink anyway — on the house. Overhear a patron on a phone call talking about their stressful day? Hand them a free cookie along with their coffee. People remember generosity, and they tell their friends and family about it.
2. Strive for consistency
People become very attached to their “regular order.” Make sure you perfect your recipes and train your employees to prepare drinks in a consistant way. Your guests will appreciate knowing exactly what to expect when they order at your coffee shop. You’ll experience less waste from remaking drinks, and your customers will be more inclined to keep coming back.
3. Treat everyone like your favorite customer
No matter if it’s someone’s first visit or their fiftieth, treat each person who walks through your door like they are the most important visitor you’ve ever had. It not only diffuses negative attitudes, but it also makes your customers feel special and eager to visit again.
4. Offer a loyalty program
Make it easy for your customers to be loyal to you. Offer a digital loyalty program to help them accrue points and rewards for free drinks and food. By using a digital stamp card that they add to Apple Wallet or Google Pay, you’ll save them the hassle of carrying yet another card around, and they’ll be more likely to choose your coffee shop over a competitor who doesn’t offer an effortless loyalty program.
Need some inspiration? Have a look at these 10 Cafes and Coffee Shops from around the world that went digital with their loyalty program.
5. Ask for feedback
The best way to know if you’re delighting your guests is to ask them. Find a way to collect feedback from your customers — either in-store or online and then follow up on it. If a guest leaves their name along with their suggestion (or complaint), contact them directly to thank them for their input and then talk about how you’ll incorporate it into your business.
6. Throw a customer party
Plan and advertise customer appreciation days on a regular cadence. Offer discounts, activities for kids, or new “one-day-only” drink flavors. Your customers will look forward to your events and tell their friends and family.
7. Make recommendations
Often, guests are afraid to try new things or order something new for fear that they won’t like it or know how to articulate what they want. Train your employees to make recommendations to customers about new flavors and drinks that suit their tastes. It’s fun for your team to serve as the expert, and it builds relationships with your customers as they explore more of what your coffee shop has to offer.
8. Offer self-service options
Guests who want a simple cup of coffee or tea don’t want to wait in line behind customers who sample some of your more exotic (read: time-consuming) drinks. Explore ways to make simple orders self-service and self-pay. You can still greet customers with the same hospitality as they come in, but you’ll save them the time of standing in line, which ultimately, is more valuable than someone from your team handing them their cup of coffee.
9. Rally around a cause together
Choose a charitable organization or community outreach to support and then invite your customers to be part of it. Post periodic updates on the progress of your cause, and use it as a way to build relationships with your guests and to introduce them to other like-minded patrons.
10. Greet your guests by name
The simple act of using someone’s name in conversation holds a lot of power. It will make your guests feel noticed and welcome. As you start to see “regulars” in your coffee shop, have your employees introduce themselves and make a conscious effort to remember the names of your customers. It’s a personal touch that is often overlooked in the rush of everyday life.
The golden rule applies in business, just as it does in your personal life. Look for ways to treat customers as you would want to be treated, and you’ll provide a delightful experience every time.
