customer service management
Case Study Scenario
You have been employed as Front of House Manager for Scarpetta, a successful family run business that has a team of 12 trusted and loyal staff. The restaurant has
enjoyed success for over 20 years due to the consistently high standard of the menu provided. The owner is also the Executive Chef.
There has however, been a growing awareness for the need to upgrade their customer service practices. An online survey was recently undertaken and indicated that
although the quality of the food was unquestionable, the customer service needed attention.
In the past, management have not involved the staff with decisions on running front of house and all customer service issues have been dealt with by the owner. Service
team members are apprehensive about sharing customer feedback with the owner because it is their experience that the service team is always to blame and the owner will
not listen.
The following page outlines informal observations that support this realization.
• On more than one occasion, a double booking occurred due to poor monitoring of the online bookings.
• Ordering mistakes occur on a regular basis.
• Often tables are not served in order of their arrival – on more than one occasion diners expressed their dissatisfaction at having to wait too long, although
they had arrived earlier than other diners
• Customer requests for items not on the menu are not referred to the kitchen staff – customers are simply told that the item requested is not available.
• The quality of the food is often acknowledged by diners, however on one occasion a chicken dish was sent back due to it being warm and not cooked sufficiently.
• Alcoholic beverages are often poured without use of a measure for regular guests.
• Complaints are often dealt with by giving customers a free dessert wine or coffee at the end of the meal rather than listening to the customer and dealing with
the real issue. Few complaints are discussed with the owner.
• By spending time talking to customers you are of the opinion that although they enjoy the food, the menu rarely changes and is very ‘traditional’. This is seen
as strength and a weakness by the customers.
• No record of customer feedback is available.
• Consumer trends are not being evaluated.
• Online customer feedback is not monitored.
• The historic customer base is declining.
• The full time team are very loyal, but not motivated to provide exceptional service. Their working practices are focused on making things easier for
themselves, rather than focusing on the customer’s needs.
• There is no evidence of coaching or training for service staff and there is a high turnover of casual staff.
Task 1
Identify three (3) formal opportunities for the team at Scarpetta to participate in the review of service standards you are planning to undertake.
Task 2
Explain three (3) benefits of involving the team at Scarpetta in the service standards review.
Explanations should include comment on:
