왜 가게마다 고객경험이 이렇게 다를까? (카페에서 느낀 고객 접점 종업원의 중요성) An experience at a cafe and the importance of front-line staff.
On Saturday morning, as always, I wanted a getaway to relieve my fatigue that had built up during weekdays. I searched for a beautiful cafe nearby and found one. While checking the location of the cafe on the internet, I also found a hand-made furniture company sharing the name of the cafe. These two places were not too apart from each other, so I became more confused. The mystery was solved when I finally arrived and entered the cafe.
The cafe occupied the whole first floor of a small, two-story building while the second floor was dedicated to the display of hand-made wood furniture. The furniture turned out to be the products of the company I had found earlier. That's the reason the cafe and the company shared the same name. The chairs, tables, and tableware in the cafe were also the products of that company and offered a consistent theme throughout the building. In addition the calm and cozy atmosphere was pleasing. I found this to be a brilliant marketing strategy — drawing people to the beautiful and cozy cafe and then smoothly introducing their company's furniture to the people.
After looking around briefly, I went to the counter to order. Two employees were standing across the counter and one of them approached me as if she had noticed my intention. I began to order, mentioning a specific drink on the menu. However, she didn't respond but held her head down and stared at the monitor on the counter. She didn't make eye contact and said nothing. I couldn't figure out whether she was listening or not. Such awkwardness caught me off guard. At that moment, the other employee — at some distance away — turned his head and responded to my order. I managed to place the order and got back to my table, but felt confused. There weren't any other customers ready to be served. Everyone except us had already been served. Any short-tempered customer would have expressed displeasure at that moment because the employee's attitude was enough to make customers feel disregarded.
On the other hand, I could understand why such an incident happened. Perhaps the owner of the furniture company also owned the cafe. This frontline staff may have been just employees or part-timers who didn't have any interest in this store's success. It seemed that the owner had failed to share his or her values with these employees.
The other day, I had a great time at another local cafe where the owner treated me as if I were her only customer. The striking contrast between these two experiences made me ponder a while. How frontline staff engage a customer determines how the rest of the customer's experience will go. Besides, engagement starts from the moment a customer steps into a store. How that interaction goes will ultimately determine whether that customer will enjoy the stay and recommend the place to their friends and family or turn around, walk out, and never return. It's all about the initial engagement that makes or breaks a retail store. Personally, I have a close friend who owns three restaurants so I can relate to the owners who may have difficulty training employees. However, it was still a shame to witness such disharmony between immature frontline staff and an elaborately designed place.
**This writing is part of my learning process. When I choose a topic to write about, I google and read related articles to learn natural English expressions. I try to make an impromptu speech based on what I learned. Then write down the script. I review my writing and check grammar as far as I can. I have it revised by someone whose first language is English. Lastly, I read aloud the writing many times until I can memorize it.
The cafe occupied the whole first floor of a small, two-story building while the second floor was dedicated to the display of hand-made wood furniture. The furniture turned out to be the products of the company I had found earlier. That's the reason the cafe and the company shared the same name. The chairs, tables, and tableware in the cafe were also the products of that company and offered a consistent theme throughout the building. In addition the calm and cozy atmosphere was pleasing. I found this to be a brilliant marketing strategy — drawing people to the beautiful and cozy cafe and then smoothly introducing their company's furniture to the people.
After looking around briefly, I went to the counter to order. Two employees were standing across the counter and one of them approached me as if she had noticed my intention. I began to order, mentioning a specific drink on the menu. However, she didn't respond but held her head down and stared at the monitor on the counter. She didn't make eye contact and said nothing. I couldn't figure out whether she was listening or not. Such awkwardness caught me off guard. At that moment, the other employee — at some distance away — turned his head and responded to my order. I managed to place the order and got back to my table, but felt confused. There weren't any other customers ready to be served. Everyone except us had already been served. Any short-tempered customer would have expressed displeasure at that moment because the employee's attitude was enough to make customers feel disregarded.
On the other hand, I could understand why such an incident happened. Perhaps the owner of the furniture company also owned the cafe. This frontline staff may have been just employees or part-timers who didn't have any interest in this store's success. It seemed that the owner had failed to share his or her values with these employees.
The other day, I had a great time at another local cafe where the owner treated me as if I were her only customer. The striking contrast between these two experiences made me ponder a while. How frontline staff engage a customer determines how the rest of the customer's experience will go. Besides, engagement starts from the moment a customer steps into a store. How that interaction goes will ultimately determine whether that customer will enjoy the stay and recommend the place to their friends and family or turn around, walk out, and never return. It's all about the initial engagement that makes or breaks a retail store. Personally, I have a close friend who owns three restaurants so I can relate to the owners who may have difficulty training employees. However, it was still a shame to witness such disharmony between immature frontline staff and an elaborately designed place.
**This writing is part of my learning process. When I choose a topic to write about, I google and read related articles to learn natural English expressions. I try to make an impromptu speech based on what I learned. Then write down the script. I review my writing and check grammar as far as I can. I have it revised by someone whose first language is English. Lastly, I read aloud the writing many times until I can memorize it.
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