Service keeps customers coming back

Before I started writing for a living, I waited tables, and my life revolved around customer service.

Amity Shedd

I worked in the service industry for six years, spending one year making sandwiches and another five working at a local restaurant. I began as a greeter and hostess, and I started serving tables and bartending about a year later.

As a server and bartender, my wages depended on my customer service. Greeting a table within 30 seconds, smiling, asking all the right questions and making sure customers had everything they could need and want for an enjoyable dining experience was what I was paid to do. Plus, I wanted my customers to come back and request to sit in my section.

The service industry's focus on customer service prompted my love for meeting people and learning their story. Making conversation with the people I waited on was a necessity. Their date, family outing or celebration was quite literally in my hands, after all.

I found that while there are some people who would rather eat and be on their way in 45 minutes, there are many more who enjoy both the social and dining aspect of eating out. I learned about my customers' families, their children, careers, hobbies, and in some circumstances, their problems. Though a small role, the server is a huge part of the dining experience.

Customer service does not only apply to the service industry, but any industry in the workforce. You want your customers to keep coming back, or your business won't be successful.

In this issue, local businesses share how they keep their customers happy, and ensure that they keep coming back for business.

ashedd@semissourian.com