This week’s indulgence in coffee talk with a barista is about preparation. Or maybe it is about having a mindset to give customer service in any given day. This week we hear from Katie. She has been a barista at Moxie for about 4 years. She shares her thoughts and ideas as I throw questions and ideas out there.
The first one is “What does it mean to be in customer service, especially when thinking about the beginning steps or the prep – how does one prepare for the day?” She stated a true employee’s perspective at first. She said the first practical ideas or steps are to get ready for the day. She has to be at the job by 5:30 a.m. Remember this is a coffee shop. She alluded to the fact that there are the expectations of the job. I am assuming there are some opening procedures and other tasks to get the shop ready. This is important to note. Anyone, I mean anyone who works for you regardless of generational relevance knows you expect them to do “x”. You pay them a salary to do this or that. This represents the stuff in the job, not the people side which is arguably the more important aspect of a customer service job. The coffee will be made – yeah, I get that. When I walk in as customer, how you interact with me has a bigger impact to the nature of the business.
Katie stated she prepares with a general question or two; like “how is your day?” or “how are you doing?” Pay attention. It is not the questions or the crafting of the questions, it is more so her mindset to engage others with these questions. Two things; she has identified a warm greeting matters. Owners pay attention; employees understand this. They get they have to say something to the customer. It is the second point. Do you make them say something specific (like the ubiquitous script – which never sounds genuine)? Recently, I have given some speeches where I have attacked the scripted greeting. Why? It does not provide warmth, despite any words perfectly chosen for their value. Give me a person who genuinely says “Hi, what’s up?” and I will engage them every time more than the person who says “Welcome to X, we appreciate your business today. How can I help you today?” Katie says “hi” every time and I believe her.
Let’s be real. Some customers want to be out the door as soon as they get their coffee. Fine, I understand that. So why do some organizations force an engagement script which provides nothing but a cheesy salutation. Seriously? Other people want to share their day. They want warmth and a conversation. Katie said she doesn’t always do this, but she tries to genuinely care about the answer rather than just give a response like ‘great, whatever’. She believes if someone is willing to ask the question, then you have a responsibility to then listen and respond. How do you train that?
The answer is you have to create a foundation whereby the tasks in the job are clear. When I know what I have do without question, then I can easily and more confidently provide my personality when engaging the customer. Personality plays a part on selling and service, but only when the necessities or tasks of the job are extremely clear in my mind. It is the boundaries of the job which allow for the art to come to the surface.
I finished the conversation by asking what if you just don’t want to do this today. She said “I do think about the time here and my shift. I have six hours here today and I am prepared for those six hours.” I believe this is an important aspect of owner or manager awareness. Think about this concept, “I will only give what I can give in the time frame I am assigned.” I believe we ask so much (maybe too much) of our team and then are surprised when they give all they can give. Maybe this is not our extent; does that surprise that what we give is aligned with what we provided. It is just a job. I believe everyone wants more. Are we an employer who understands that, really?
We ended on a couple of other points. “I think about my future goals (and other things).” She is not void of what the future holds. There are other things she wishes to do. She is planning for volunteer work abroad. This is your employee; how are you amplifying that aspect of importance in her life within the context of her job? Please understand, I am not condemning or judging her current employer. I know her employer; she is awesome. I am using this platform to provoke a greater awareness of the employment landscape.
Perhaps, the more poignant statement came at the end, “I plan the day with my peers – the people I work with and just know I will enjoy my time with them.” Is that it? We cannot depend on that. We can enjoy the fruits of having a great team. Please note team work is a result. So what are you doing to allow and exemplify the efforts of the team to enjoy their time together?
As we finished, she said something that I had to note; “Home affects work and work affects home.” More on this next time…
Cheers, Kurt