Customer Service Management Training
Panera Pays Attention
Panera Bread’s quick permeation of the convenience food market denotes a solid strategy worthy of emulation. A strategy centered around what customers want and building a strong employee base that happily delivers.
In a Fortune Small Business feature, founder Ron Shaich divulges how the concept for Panera was born and brought to fruition, and the challenges and lessons wrought within the journey.
In laying the groundwork for the Panera brand, Shaich and his team focused on a specific customer group, ones who were willing to pay a slightly higher price for quality, service and an inviting environment.
“For two years we traveled the country, talking to customers and employees and observing buying patterns. I concluded customers weren’t looking for commodity food, They wanted to feel special in a world in which they were not.”
From opening their doors, Panera’s leaders continue to focus on fabricating new ideas and making improvements in response to customer desires.
Two of Shaich’s pillars for success
1. Never stop talking to customers- He visits stores on a regular basis, rings the register himself in order to get a first hand view of what consumers are thinking and feeling at the point of purchase.
2. Retain good employees by earning their respect- whether he has to jump in back and mop floors or wipe tables down himself to bolster a short-handed staff, Shiach shows his employees he not only appreciates their work but understands it first hand.
Bottom line- building and operating a business for what the consumer wants, seeing the process through their eyes ensures you meet their expectations. Operating that business and satisfying customers through loyal, satisfied help is the lynch pin of the machine. Without good service, there will be no one to serve at all.
Check out this USA Today video coverage of Panera’s success
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