A Dry Cappuccino – a Lesson in Customer Loyalty “What on earth is a dry cappuccino?” my husband asked as I was telling him this story. Well… it’s what we used to call a cappuccino. These days, if you simply ask for a cappuccino, you often get what is basically a café latte with a bit of foam on top. And while we’re on the subject, a lady came into the coffee shop and asked

Silent Customer joins SHARCC Group and strengthens its leadership team Silent Customer is delighted to announce that we have joined SHARCC Group, marking an exciting new chapter for the business. Since Silent Customer was founded in 2008, we have built our reputation by helping organisations understand the behaviours shaping their customers’ experiences. Our approach combines mystery shopping, customer insight, behavioural analysis and practical support, delivered with the personal and constructive style our clients know us

Have training apps had their day? I think they probably have. We’re ‘apped out’. Of course, apps still have an important place for things like health & safety, risk assessments, food safety regulations and HR compliance. But beyond that, if you want your team to genuinely go above and beyond when looking after customers, especially in customer-facing roles, then the training needs to be human too. When I started Silent Customer back in 2008, the

BYO – so there’s a thought… Conversations about an unlicensed local sushi bar encouraging customers to bring their own wine sparked debate about whether this should make a comeback. With costs spiraling and eating out becoming more of an occasional treat than a regular pastime with friends – and with more people staying at home – could corkage on BYO help make going out feel more affordable again? Would offering BYO give customers the impression

Order-at-the-table-apps should generate more engagement, not less. Tim Martin wrote an article about how apps are reducing customer engagement. But I actually see them as a fantastic opportunity to do the absolute opposite. I’m sorry, but how is having a stressed or disengaged server pressing buttons on a handheld device at your table any better than you inputting your own order into an app? No – apps are a great opportunity to save money on

Do GM’s have a parental role? In a word – Yes. Adults are really just grown-up children. We might not throw ourselves on the floor anymore, but we still have our versions of tantrums. Most of us keep them inside; a few make their displeasure known. Either way, angst and tears rarely help anyone. Remember Super Nanny? The meltdowns were almost always for the same reasons: 📍Parents hadn’t set clear expectations 📍They hadn’t modelled the