Last week we talked about questions you need to answer before getting your breakfast catering operation underway. Assuming you have everything in order, let’s now think about how can you make the customer’s experience better than ever—and better than the services provided by your competitors.
For the record, THE CUSTOMER WILL LOVE THIS.
Don’t try to do this quietly.
Use your efforts to your advantage.
What you need to do is think about it from their perspective (something you should make a habit of).
Consider this: you, or the person making your company’s delivery, walks into the client’s office at 7:45 a.m. and greets the receptionist, who is often the person who ordered the food.
“Good morning Sandy, I’m Nathan from We Will Not Screw-Up Your First Order Catering. I am delivering your breakfast tomorrow. It is customary for us to do a test run from our establishment the morning before our first delivery to a new customer. That way, any unanticipated issues about coming here can be addressed today, not tomorrow when it really matters. Oh, and I brought you a muffin to sample.”
If you are asking yourself, ”How much is this going to cost me? Between the labor, gas, and cost of a muffin (that’s a joke)—is this a wise exercise?"
Wise beyond words.
First of all, if your first delivery is late—even just a few minutes—I don’t care how good the food is, or how nice the delivery person is. Forget it—game over. They are probably not ordering from you again and they shouldn’t.
What has your investment really cost?
1 hour of labor = $15 (estimate)
Cost of gas/food = $3 (estimate)
Total = $18
Return on your investment
You are perceived as conscientious and professional. Peace of mind for you, the delivery person, and your new customer. Remember, they are taking a chance on you. It’s always safer to order from the caterer who has been there before.
To this day, if I have an important meeting or tasting, I do the test drive.
I sleep better the night before. Do you agree? Contact me to let me know what tips and tricks you use to make your catering services better than the rest!
Michael Rosman is a member of the Catersource consulting team. If you would like information about him coming to your business to address your specific needs, please email Carl Sacks at [email protected]. His book, Lessons Learned From Our Mistakes – and other war stories from the catering battlefield is available through the Catersource store.
You can visit Michael’s website at www.TheCorporateCaterer.com email [email protected].
