Using the Comment Card to Better Serve Clients
When you are operating a cafeteria, it is all about servicing your customers. Provide them what they want to eat and they will come back for more, hopefully with their friends. This means paying attention to what your customers want and what they
don't want. A great way to make sure that you are giving your customers what they want is to provide them with comment cards. Comment cards offer your customers the chance to voice their opinions on the things you are doing right and the things that could use improvement. If you take the comments seriously, it can help you serve your clients better and all but guarantee your success.
Making the Comment Cards Readily Available
The first thing to do with comment cards is to make sure that they are readily available to your customers. This includes making sure that they are on all of the tables, placed carefully in cardholders that will draw attention.
You might want to provide some pencils as well, as not everyone will have something to write with. Finally, having a box or other receptacle to place the cards in will help your clients feel comfortable giving you feedback. If you make it easy for your customers to find the cards, fill them out and then return them, they will be more inclined to give you some feedback.
You may need to provide some extra incentives, such as discounts for returning comment cards, or some other offers in order to motivate customers to take the time and fill out comment cards.
Reading the Comments and Taking Action
Anyone can ask for comments on a card. Your next step is to do something with the comments. Keep in mind that someone felt strongly enough about an issue within your cafeteria to write it down. Your role is to read each comment and take the comments seriously.
The comments that you are interested in are the ones that tell you about what you are doing right or what you can improve upon. Be as critical as possible in areas where improvements are suggested. If there is a way to make the suggested improvement, it is in your best interest to implement it as best as possible.
Any action you take should be well thought out. Take the time to look at all of your different options and how it will affect the rest of your business. If there is no way to implement a suggested change, than you need to abandon it. Knowing that you have taken the time to look at all of your options will give you the peace of mind that you are making every effort to better serve your customers.
Show You Are Using Comments
Make sure that you advertise that you are using the comments left from cafeteria patrons. If your cafeteria is in an office or school, you can put out a newsletter talking about recent comments and the actions you are taking. If you are dealing with paying customers, then you can use a marker board to announce comments and the actions that you are taking to fulfill them.
One action that has worked is to mention on the menu itself that this item is one that has been requested by customers. The more you make it clear that you are not only willing to hear customer feedback, but are also eager to implement these suggestions, the more you will give customers a sense of ownership and encouragement to continually patronize your food establishment.