Back to basics: serve the customer right

On a busy Friday or Saturday night going to the bar for a drink can be the least pleasant experience your customers will have at your pub.

Drinkers will argue among themselves over which unfortunate soul's turn it is next to battle their way through the hordes of pub-goers, fight for the attention of a seemingly indifferent member of staff and then shout themselves hoarse as they order their drinks.

This, argues barstaff trainer Nick Marchant, is why the customer experience at the bar is so important. That customer might have had a torrid time getting to the point of sale, but if they go away smiling all will be forgiven - and, of course, they will be more likely to return.

Nick is director of Goldminds, a Manchester-based company which lists Sugar Lounge and Inventive Leisure's Revolution vodka bar chain as clients. He created the company's '10 Steps of Service' programme.

Using a DVD that helps engage young staff in a fresh and modern way, 10 Steps aims for a simple approach to improve efficiency and maximise profit for the licensee. It forms part of a larger training programme Goldminds offers, which can be tailored to specific needs.

"It's about improving the confidence and efficiency of staff, getting faster while maintaining quality," explains Nick. "A bar such as Revolution takes, on average, 65 per cent of its turnover during busy periods. If we can give it improved speed and improved quality it will maximise profits."

While many of the 10 Steps of Service will seem like common sense to most licensees and managers, Nick believes a lot of them are sorely lacking in pubs up and down the country.

It is the small, simple things, he says, that when added together make a lasting impression.

"For me it's about giving staff the skills that make it fun, giving them a sense that they are doing things with quality and making it easier for them," he says. "Mixology can be complex and bartenders can have encyclopaedic knowledge. But for most bars it's not necessary, so I suppose what we want to do is inspire them and give them the skills and understanding so they can get a real buzz from working behind a bar."

Nick also has evidence that the course can improve take.

We did a little test on four sites in Manchester," he says. "On busy nights they noticed an increase in takings of up to £500 as a result of this training. That's a huge increase over the course of a year."

Getting the message across​

The bar skills DVD and team-training manual work alongside each other. During the first week staff are shown the entire DVD to inspire them and show them what they can achieve. The DVD is then viewed step by step with trainees practising with dummy bottles filled with water.

They are assessed at the end of each session and the results recorded. Trainees cannot continue until they have passed each assessment.

"You can teach the 10 steps in groups," explains Nick. "They all watch the DVD and then get behind the bar and make the orders. I've always believed you can only adopt these skills when you go and carry them out practically."

Nick developed the DVD to help engage barstaff and give them easy access to what has gone before when the training has ended.

"I was working as a consultant," he says. "The Hilton would fly me over to China to train their staff and what crossed my mind was how to offer effective training in the face of the quick staff turnover in this industry. Often, within six weeks staff have moved on and the training is ineffective. The DVD was developed as a solution to that, so the training would still be at their fingertips.

"The reaction to the DVD has been brilliant. Staff enjoy using it. They find it. funky, interesting and cool. This is the MTV generation, after all. Revolution's staff are mainly 18 to 25-year-olds. They've got to be able to relate to the training."

The 10 Steps of Service​

1. The welcome

Be warm and friendly. Even if you're busy, acknowledge every customer as soon as you can and let them know they'll be served as soon as possible. Nick says: "The welcome sets the tone for the rest of the relationship. It puts the customer in the right frame of mind."

2. Bev naps down

Make sure there is a bev nap to go under each drink. That lets other bartenders know who's being served and avoids sticky drips. Nick says: "It's a really simple way of keeping the bar nice and clean and tidy. High-end bars have always done this and there's no reason why high street pubs can't."

3. Question time

Get the whole drinks order in one go by asking the right questions and try to upsell on every order, asking things such as: "Would you like a double for an extra pound?" Offer a glass with bottled beers or RTDs and finish by asking "Would you like anything else?" Nick says: "It makes sure you have all the information you need but it has to be personalised, not like in Starbucks or Subway."

4. Repeat the order

Repeat the order back to the customer. Nick says: "It's simply a technique to help you remember the order."

5. Collect glasses

Collect all the glasses for the entire order at the same time. Nick says: "When it's busy it's a good way of keeping your order away from other staff who might be taking orders in the same area."

6. Check glasses

Handle glasses correctly, by the base if it's got a base or by the stem if it's got a stem, and make sure they are cold, clean and chip-free. Nick says: "This is extremely important. There is always that fear of a chipped glass, and a customer coming to the bar with a cut lip. It takes half a second to check. And if a glass has lipstick marks it really detracts from the customer experience."

7. Prepare and place glasses

Make the drinks in front of the customer. Put glasses that don't need icing or garnishing straight on the mats and ice and garnish glasses that need it before you put them on the mats. Nick says: "Again, this is a good thing to do if other members of staff are sharing a station, especially if it's busy."

8. Make drinks

Approach the order as a whole and make the drinks in the most logical and efficient way. (Later sessions in the Goldminds programme detail techniques to help staff do this.) Nick says: "One of the worst things I find going into a pub is when the staff make one drink, ask you for the next drink, make that, then ask you for the next, instead of taking the entire order and making them all at the same time. It can be such a laborious process that you're ready to leave before you've even got your drinks. Your barstaff are on the frontline - they are the face of your business and need to be aware of the impression they are giving."

9. Deliver

Handle the glasses by the base or the stem. Let the customer know which drink is which. This saves them guessing and allows you to rectify any mistakes straight away. Nick says: "This is an etiquette thing. As a customer you don't want people to put their hands where your mouth is about to go. The way glasses are handled also indicates to the customer the quality of the venue.

10. Payment, thank you and goodbye

Take payment and always remember to say thank you and goodbye. If it's quiet and you've got time, check customers are enjoying their drinks and offer them more if appropriate. Nick says: "Going to the bar is often the bane of people's lives. If you can send them away with a smile on their face it gives the best possible impression."

www.goldminds.co.uk