How to Please Your Customers When You Don’t Have What They Want
Have you ever had a Chardonnay that wasn’t chilled? It’s nothing to write home about, and it certainly doesn’t do any justice to the grape. Chardonnay, by multiple sources, can easily be coined as “America’s favorite wine.” Part of its popularity can be attributed to the fact that it’s considered to be a relatively low-maintenance vine, making it easily produced in high yields around the world, to its dry yet fruity character, and to the fact that, according to the Wall Street Journal, “more than 43 million cases of California Chardonnay are sold in America every year.”
Last week in a local café, while beginning an evening of work off site, I decided to order a glass of, you guessed it, Chardonnay. I chose a glass of a more expensive Chardonnay instead of the standard house Chard. When I took my first sip, I almost spit it out. It was at room temperature. It almost seemed warm! After bringing it to the attention of the server, I was told that they didn’t have any of the Chardonnay I wanted chilled so she just decided to give it to me un-chilled anyway…without asking me! I would have taken the house Chard in the first place if I had known the situation up front.
Never assume what a customer might want if you don’t have what he asks for. This is what went wrong with this customer service experience. It didn’t turn into a complete disaster. The server eventually offered me the house Chard chilled and never charged me. Good back pedal. But a professional on the front line of customer service should never have to back pedal.
A few days a month, to treat my love for wine, I work in a tasting room pouring wine and facilitating private tours for Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California. Wente is known for being the oldest continually family-run winery (125 years to date), and ironically, their Chardonnay clone is used for a majority of California Chardonnays. In fact, Robert Parker has been known to attribute the Wente clone as his favorite.
Here’s what I would do if a tasting room guest asked for a taste of our very popular Riva Ranch Chardonnay, and the last chilled bottle in our room was empty:
- First I would compliment the guest’s choice and say at least one or two points about its character and popularity.
- Second, I would quickly and politely explain that because of its popularity, there are no more chilled wines left today and it would not do the wine justice to pour a semi- or un-chilled version.
- Third, I would offer one or two chilled alternatives available that the guest could taste instead.
- Fourth, should I read that the guest is still visibly irritated, I would offer the alternative of their choice at a discount or offer a 10% discount on a purchase.
- Fifth, I would invite the guest to come back again to try the Riva Ranch on another visit, and if I had a “2 for 1” tasting coupon on hand, I would give that to the guest as a rain check as well.
- Finally, I would thank the guest for visiting.
It’s important to note: never show an expression or use a tone that communicates negativity to your customer. It’s okay if you don’t have exactly what your customer wants. You just have to make sure you take the time to explain the reasoning why you don’t have what the customer wants, and always offer an alternative. If you aren’t the “decision maker” where you work, talk with your supervisor about what leeway you have with offering discounts or coupons to use as ammunition for those unique customer moments.