Thanks for noticing!

A blogger takes note of some exceptional training...Thanks for noticing!
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Biggby Coffee Customer Service sets the bar

So, I am a frequent consumer of delicious beverages served up at my local Biggby Coffee shop – formerly known as Beaners. I’ve traveled quite a bit through my home state and always manage to find a local Biggby to satisfy my need for refreshment. One thing that has stood out at every Biggby Coffee shop I have visited is the approach the baristas use while taking my order.

I often order a drink for my wife and for myself. After describing each beverage I am ordering to the barista, they always, without fail, respond by saying “what else can I get for you?” Usually I tell them the second beverage, to which they reply once again “what else can I get for you?” Biggby Baristas have been meticulously trained to assume each and every customer wants more than they are ordering. Often times they are right, and thus are able to accommodate their customers with additional B Treats, souvenir coffee cups, and even hip and trendy B gear.

On the flip side, every time I visit a local fast food restaurant and place an order, at the conclusion of ordering my first item, the order-taker abruptly announces “will that complete your order?”. Usually I have more items that I would like to order, so I have to answer them “no, I’d like ____.” After each item is ordered, the order-taker repeats his plea for me to stop ordering food: “will that complete your order”. Apparently there is a limit on the amount of food I can order and this order-taker is cautiously hoping that I don’t reach that limit – stopping me after each item to be sure I am not taking my order too far. What happened to asking me if I would like fries? Where has my “super-size for only $.25″ offer gone? I know that their clock is running, but wouldn’t they improve their bottom line by enticing every customer to spend more money, rather than rushing them through in order to get to the next customer?

So in the essence of fairness and investigation, I timed myself saying “what else can I get for you?” and “does that complete your order?”. Both phrases are 7 syllables and take the identical time to speak. Even adding in fluctuations for enthusiasm, saying “does that complete your order?” does not reduce the time of service at all. Yet saying “what else can I get for you?” increases the average ticket price and company bottom line.

Every service-based business could stand to learn from Biggby Coffee.