Pizza Today - May 2018 - 42

blocks away, there's probably a faster
fix. "If the customer realizes a mistake
as soon as the driver gets there, we'll
send another driver out immediately,
even if it's just for a two-liter," says
Carlo Serio, owner of Maryland's
Pizza Pretzel Creations.
In fact, some items can be purchased
at nearby stores, sparing your resources
and customers' time. "When I ran
stores, if someone forgot a can of
soda or a two-liter, I'd have them go
to the convenience store down the
block," says Mark Watt, Toppers Pizza
franchise operations director. "It was
actually cheaper than having them
come all the way back."
Still, some people won't want to
wait any longer, and they'll opt to pick
up the rest of their items themselves.
"If the guest has time to come in and
get the correct order, it might fix the
situation," says Kate Grimes, general
manager for The Haven Pizzeria. "Of
course, the order would be free at that
point."
When else are freebies appropriate?
"There's not a specific dollar amount,
and it's definitely up to the manager's
discretion and how egregious the
mistake is," says Serio. "We're not
going to comp a $50 order if the driver
forgot a cup of marinara sauce, but we
still take the issue seriously."
While managers may have the final
say, however, drivers still serve as their
eyes and ears. "Typically the driver calls
back to the store, and the manager
takes care of things right away," Serio
adds. "That being said, the drivers
themselves help us a lot with gauging
the situation and assessing the mistake
and the customer's feelings about it."
EVEN IF A SECOND DRIVER DELIVERS THE
CORRECT ORDER IN A FLASH, you've still

made a mistake, and you'll need to take
extra steps to keep that customer for
the long haul. "Just replacing the food
doesn't actually get us to a good spot, it
only gets the customer what they tried
to get in the first place," says Watt.
"Our priority is retaining the
4 2 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M AY 2 0 1 8

customer, not just fixing the order,"
Grimes agrees. "My biggest goal is to
get the guest to come back a second
time. We might send them a gift card
for their next order, or offer to buy
them dinner the next time they're
in the restaurant in person." While
refunds appease customers in the near
term, they offer no guarantee they
won't make their next order with a
competitor.
If anything, going above and beyond
to correct a mistake can actually
strengthen the relationship. "I've been
in the restaurant industry my entire
career, and I've seen many instances
where doing a good job of fixing a
problem wins you a customer for life,"
says Watt. "In that down moment, you
can show that customer how valuable
they truly are."
For the same reason, it pays to
respond to negative online reviews.
"I personally respond to every review,
good or bad. And if they're bad I
try to create a dialogue," says Serio.
"Reach out to the person who had
a bad delivery experience, have a
conversation, and create a great
customer."
EVEN IF YOUR DELIVERY ERRORS ARE
FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, you'll want

to establish a system to guide your
management and employees. "In our
training, we use an acronym called
BLAST," says Watt. "Believe you
made a mistake, listen to the customer,
apologize for the error, solve the
problem with a replacement or refund,
and thank the customer for allowing
you to fix the situation."
Likewise, it's important to remember
that for every customer who does
speak up, there may be many more
who don't. "The person who calls back
is the person who cares enough to
let you fix the problem and keep you
as their provider," says Watt. Given
that bad word of mouth spreads faster
than good, each of these customers is
offering you an opportunity you can't
afford to miss.

Last but certainly not least, empathy
and understanding go a long way
with mistakes big and small. "What's
always worked is empathizing with
guests," says Grimes. "There's nothing
worse than people blowing off your
complaint. But if you understand why
they're upset, there's not much you
can't solve." n
DAVID LAMARTINA is a Kansas City-based
freelance copywriter who specializes in the
finance, food and health industries.

MINIMIZING
ERRORS
You can turn a bad situation around, but you're still
better off avoiding mistakes
altogether. A few extra tips
for minimizing delivery and
carryout order errors:
* Double-check. "Make
sure you have more than one
set of eyes on every order,
especially when you're busy,"
says Serio.
* Item counts. Prevent
drivers from leaving items
behind, and keep carryout
customers from walking out
short.
* Repeat orders. "Whoever takes the order should
repeat it back to the guests,"
says Grimes. "Make sure you
have the correct order with the
correct modifications."
* Online POS. To cut down
on miscommunications, invest
in an online ordering system.
* Verify anomalies. Even
online orders can include
errors. "We've trained team
members to call back from the
make line if an order seems
off," says Watt. No cheese,
no sauce or a written request
that doesn't make sense? The
customer might have made
a mistake before clicking the
order button.
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