How Good Staff Training Can Save Your Café Business
We’ve all been there. Smack in the midst of an absolutely horrendous work day, nerves jangling, you duck out to get some coffee as a reprieve, only to be hit by a huge queue and a massive wait whilst the flurried café employees (unsuccessfully) try to deal with the crush. Things become immeasurably worse. The coffee arrives scalding, with a strange flavour and unenjoyable. You’ve been given the wrong muffin. You asked for Carrot and this is clearly a Blueberry. Not even close. You don’t have time for this.
Mix ups like this might seem like small sleights in the grand scheme of things but sometimes that can be enough for customers to look elsewhere for their next coffee fix. This is particularly disappointing if you are actually selling a great product.
Customers are particularly judgemental when it comes to victuals such as food and coffee because they are essentials. We spend our hard-earned money on them every day. With the plethora of establishments available, it is incredibly important for a coffee shop owner to train their staff to a high-level in order to ensure repeat business.
Whilst customers might be able to understand a longer wait time when things get busy, most can easily spot when the staff are underperforming and could prevent mistakes or delays. According to industry expert Ruby Newell-Legner, it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for ONE negative experience (“Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner).
Training is about a lot more than good customer service and an employee that can smile charmingly and mouth platitudes at an angry customer. Hospitality is a real skill that relies on good systems being in place from the get-go. This includes considered preparation, set-up procedures and leadership training where required so that staff can delegate appropriately. It also requires a thorough knowledge of proper food handling and workplace health and safety procedures. Close enough is just not good enough when it comes to hygiene! The Australian Food Safety Standards board have comprehensive regulations that must be adhered to.
It’s also incredibly important that staff know what to do in emergency situations. Procedures need to be in place and tested thoroughly for any eventuality.
THEN…there’s the coffee. Australians are notoriously picky about their coffee – some might say we have the world’s highest percentage of self-appointed coffee connoisseurs! Your baristas need to know exactly what they are doing in a stiffly competitive market.
That’s why Muffin Break® offers comprehensive courses available for all their franchisees. Courses are available for delivery through a variety of platforms – either at their specialised training facility in Sydney or online through a tailored E-Communications portal. Additional training is also provided in the form of in-field visits from their team of experts. Download our guide to find out more about Muffin Break’s accredited training programs.
