Good Wine, Great View, but how about Customer Service?
Customer service is vital to the success of any business. Despite how good your product or service is, customer service can make you or it can break you. In the wine industry good customer service is vital. The attention to detail a winery invests in their wine production and tasting room should also be poured into their customer service – no pun intended. I recently took a customer service poll over a three week period on Twitter and the general consensus among Virginia wine lovers was that if customer service is not good at a winery, they are not likely to be repeat customers - even if the wine and ambience are above average. Word of mouth is a two way street, and while some people will sing praises about your business if they have an overall nice experience, many more will spread their displeasure about your business via review sites such as Yelp, via social media outlets, and person to person. For example, a couple recently tweeted from the tasting bar of a Virginia winery that their ‘pourer’ left them for an extended period of time and they were not having a pleasant tasting experience and would never return. Interestingly enough, during my polling, many people stated that if the wine and ambience are just okay, and the customer service is good, they are likely to return and tell a friend. I hear and receive a lot of comments, both good and bad, via my wine blog about many of our 160+ producers. One Loudoun County producer I often hear positive things about is Corcoran Vineyards. For that reason, I’ve asked owner and winemaker Lori Corcoran to tell us some of her keys to good customer service in the tasting room.
Lori Corcoran of Corcoran Vineyards
Guest Post:
Good Wine, Great View, but how about Customer
I would love to say that it’s the wine that keeps the customers coming back or the beautiful pond to sit by, but the reality is we are in the hospitality business. Our goal here at Corcoran is to let our guests escape the everyday stresses and worries and come out to the tasting room to just relax.
It's not the beautiful pond, it's "Customer Service"....
The first step to successful customer service is hiring the right staff. This is the most difficult aspect of the business. We have interviewed numerous people to try and find the person who exhibits a friendly smile with the ability to listen to our customers. It is a bonus if they have wine knowledge - we can train and enhance that aspect, but a must is to have the passion of a fun and friendly wine environment.
Corky sure knows how to liven up a tasting room!
Once we find the right folks to work in the tasting room, we have them work side-by-side with either Jim or I so they can better understand our wine speak, the history of Corcoran, as well as the wines they will be pouring. Our focus here at Corcoran is to make sure that our staff is friendly and that means customer friendly. They have to be enthusiastic individuals!
Info: Corcoran Vineyards • 14635 Corkys Farm Lane • Waterford, Virginia 20197 • 540-882-9073
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Have a question about this post, friends? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com, and as always, Happy Sipping! Stay tuned friends ...More to come!
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