Checking in on Foursquare at Ruby Tuesday unlocked a $5 coupon for two entrees. Cool. I had to teach the manager all about Foursquare and show him the screens so he could see what happened.
Through the meal, a waiter (female) proceeded to tip my Stella Artois, which I caught before it emptied on the carpet. No offer to get me another one. The food came, and I was expecting mashed cauliflower as a side. It was cold, soupy and served in a bowl; I asked for a spoon. The bacon (I would’ve given to kidlet) was missing from my sandwich of hard chicken with brown avocado.
When the waiter returned to the table, I asked her if they had Stella on tap; she said, no, sorry. I said, “I really wanted to drink my full beer.” Still no offer of any small glass on tap to replace what she spilled.
The meal came to a close with me stewing and debating whether to speak with the manager about the wait staff, the poor food, customer service, and the last occasion I had gone there and experienced poor quality food, too. At the end of the meal, the waiter came and said, “We can offer you free cupcakes, would you like those?”
What Ruby Tuesday Missed
When a patron walks into your restaurant or establishment and shows you they’ve unlocked a special on Foursquare, what’s the first impression a savvy businessperson should make?
This person who has chosen my eatery for dinner engages in social media beyond just posting on Facebook.
…which means, treat that customer extra special. When you spill their beer, you immediately offer a replacement; heck, the patron doesn’t even need to be socially savvy. You make a mistake, you fix it. Enough said.
Do you think the term “social business” is bogus? I don’t. Being a social business that exhibits social customer service is about the philosophy and strategy with which you adopt, plan and deploy social media.
Consider These Five Social Business Tips
1. Teach restaurant employees on the frontlines about the tools patrons have at their disposal throughout the entire time that person is in the confines of the establishment. These tools are any social media channel that enables a post. Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Facebook, and other location-based marketing sites and tools. Camera, Instagram, Flickr, Twitter, and other social photo sharing tools.
2. What that means is the opportunity for patrons to post a negative Net Promoter Score anywhere during the dining experience and, heck, even 24-hours later via a blog (ahem) is not only possible; it’s highly probable.
3. Social customer service must be taught for anyone on the frontlines of a business and this includes clerks in retail establishments, too.
4. Patrons who leave poor reviews on dining review sites should be contacted directly and with an attempt to build a more positive rapport.
5. Your role as a business owner where customer service is first and foremost the crux of your revenue stream means paying closer attention to social media and becoming a social business where this new normal is incorporated directly into the core of your marketing strategy.
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