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Craft Distillery
tools so you are alerted in real-time whenever You know what takes to manage your business
you receive a comment on one of your chan- and your inventory. And, with the popularity of
nels. You can quickly resolve any issues and pre- craft beverage businesses, there is a steady stream
vent significant customer loss. of new customers. Some patrons, used to a differ-
ent type of establishment, or ones who are simply
3. Really Make the Effort to Solve the Problem: impatient when it comes to being served at a busy
Making something right will also show potential place, offer a different level of frustration.
customers that you are completely committed
to ensuring satisfaction. To counteract this, make sure you take notice of
negative reviews from similar businesses to limit
In addition, many reviewers will go back and having the same thing happen to you.
post their experience if it turns into a positive
one, and every positive review takes the sting Here are some counter-acting responses to the
out of a negative one. Highlight these experi- above examples:
ences so customers see that you care about the
outcome. ● Always keep your website and hours of oper-
ation updated. Do you require reservations or
4. Keep it Real: An imperfect, but pretty strong are you first come, first serve? Do your hours
rating appears much more believable to custom- change with the seasons? Close for private par-
ers than having a perfect record. Unblemished ties? Planning these updates in advance and
reviews can look “fake” and more untrustworthy keeping your business information up to date
than their blemished counterparts. In a nutshell, ensures you do not get disgruntled customers
negative reviews provide some honest feedback who are more likely to chalk up their “bad”
on your craft beverage product or service and experience through a negative review.
can mix in nicely with the positive commentary.
● Be CLEAR with your pricing, online and in per-
Leverage Other Business’s son. Be transparent about promotions and their
Negative Experiences start/end dates. State whether sales tax is or
is not included. Be open about the size of your
As the saying goes, a person who learns from pour. Being transparent can avoid any unwel-
other people’s mistakes is a wise person. And lever- come surprises.
aging other people’s negative experiences can offer
many benefits. ● Train your employees in the art of customer ser-
vice. While you know there will be times when
Learning from others by doing your research helps it will get busy and your staff may get pulled in
you avoid the same obstacles. different directions, the customer should always
be treated in kind. Consider security cameras
For instance, here are some top online customer to give peace of mind to both the customer
complaints about various craft beverage establish- and the staff so that any situation can have an
ments swirling around social media right now: objective eye.
● Place not open as advertised/Website not ● Be aware of the most up-to-date safety and
updated/Hours not listed. cleanliness measures. Make sure your business
● Want a bigger pour for the price. adheres to them to keep everyone as safe as
● Employees are rude/non-compliant with safety. possible all round.
● Tour was longer than it stated.
● Not clear about rules (kids, food, etc). ● If you provide tours, state when your tours
● Not enough offerings/limited selection. begin and finish. If they can be more lax, state
● No Flight Layout (for breweries). that too. Make sure this is stated online and in
person.
All of these comments boil down to the same two
issues: Online presence and customer communica- ● Let your customer be prepared before they
tion. come to your business on what your rules are
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