Welcome back to our Ignite Growth series for pizza business owners! We’ve been on a journey exploring the multiple dimensions that contribute to a pizzeria’s success. We’ve shared tips on enhancing the customer experience, looked at customer retention strategies, and unraveled the complexities of effective employee scheduling. Today, we’ll focus on another crucial element of pizzeria growth: employee training.
We’re not talking about just any training, either. We’re zoning in on training strategies directly tied to growth and sales in a pizza business. Every tip on our list can positively impact your bottom line. From mastering upselling techniques to improving telephone etiquette, these employee training tips will supercharge your staff and contribute to your restaurant’s growth.
How to Train Employees in Your Pizzeria
Ready to take your team’s skills to the next level and boost your pizzeria’s growth in the process? Here are seven tips to train employees that will also increase sales.
1. Upselling Techniques
Upselling is a skill that adds extra revenue and enhances the customer experience when done correctly. Teach your employees the art of subtle, contextual upselling by encouraging them to make recommendations that genuinely add value to the customer’s order. For instance, they could suggest adding a side of garlic bread or a specialty drink to a pizza order. Role-playing these scenarios during training sessions will ensure your employees feel comfortable and authentic when making suggestions.
Upselling can significantly increase the average order total, thereby boosting revenue. However, it’s not just about the short-term sales increase. Effective upselling can also lead to customer satisfaction when customers feel they have received good advice or discovered a new menu item they enjoy. Satisfied customers will likely return, so upselling can also be a long-term growth strategy for your pizzeria.
2. Menu Training
Knowing the menu inside and out is essential for effective upselling and providing exceptional customer service. Train your employees to understand not just the names of dishes but the ingredients, preparation methods, and even the history or story behind specific items. Employees should be able to answer customer questions confidently and make informed recommendations based on dietary preferences or flavor profiles.
Thorough menu training is a pillar of restaurant growth. A well-informed employee can suggest pairings, upsell high-margin items, and offer alternatives that meet the customer’s needs, thereby increasing sales. When customers feel the staff understands their needs and can guide them through the menu, it increases the chances of that customer returning. It also sets the stage for positive word-of-mouth promotion, a priceless asset for any growing pizzeria.
3. Handling Complaints
Handling customer complaints effectively is important for immediate damage control and long-term business growth. A well-resolved complaint can turn an unhappy customer into a loyal one. Equip your staff with strategies to deal with complaints that align with your brand’s values and customer service policies.
- Immediate Acknowledgment: Train staff to immediately acknowledge the complaint, signaling to the customer that their issue is being taken seriously.
- Solution-Oriented Approach: Employees should be empowered to resolve the issue efficiently, offering alternatives or compensations as appropriate.
- Follow-Up: Managers should follow up with the customer to ensure their issue was resolved to their satisfaction and to gather feedback for continuous improvement.
Customer complaints may happen in person, or they may come via online reviews. Have a strategy to manage both. For more advice, check out our article A 10-Step Strategy for Handling Negative Reviews.
4. Cross-Training
As we mentioned in our article on employee scheduling, cross-trained staff make your pizzeria more adaptable and efficient. Training your employees to handle multiple roles—whether it’s moving from the kitchen to the register or from delivery to answering the phone—can be a lifesaver during peak hours or staff shortages.
Cross-training can allow your pizzeria to cover more ground with fewer people. You’ll reduce labor costs and improve customer service since team members understand multiple aspects of the business. Given the ongoing labor shortage in the food service industry, cross-training is an employee training technique that will significantly benefit your pizzeria.
5. Telephone Etiquette
Often, the telephone is the first point of contact between the customer and your pizzeria, so making a good impression here is vital. Training your team in telephone etiquette is about respect, efficiency, clarity, and making the customer feel valued.
- Polite Greeting: Train employees to start each call with a courteous and energetic greeting, followed by an introduction and an offer to assist.
- Active Listening: Employees should be trained to listen actively to the customer, repeating back orders for clarification and asking open-ended questions when appropriate.
- Upbeat Farewell: The call should end on a positive note, confirming the order details and giving an accurate timeframe for delivery or pickup.
Cloud phone systems like PizzaPhones® by Clarity Voice offer valuable features to train employees. Call recording allows you to capture and save excellent examples of customer service over the phone, creating a library of real-world scenarios for future training. Meanwhile, call coaching enables managers to listen, whisper, or join calls in real-time to help new employees improve their phone skills. With the right business phone technology, you can improve employee training and ignite growth in your pizzeria.
6. Time Management
In a pizzeria, timely service can make or break the customer experience. Train your staff to prioritize tasks, from taking orders to food preparation and delivery, in a way that maximizes efficiency without sacrificing quality. Set achievable yet challenging time goals for completing tasks to keep your restaurant running efficiently.
Good time management skills can reduce idle time and ensure that employees are always engaged in productive activities. This reduces labor costs and enables you to serve more customers in a given period, thereby increasing revenue.
7. Brand Training
A strong brand builds customer trust and loyalty. Employees who understand and represent your brand well create a consistent customer experience that can differentiate your pizzeria and drive long-term growth. Brand training can include:
- History and Mission: Educate your employees about the history and mission of your brand during the onboarding process to provide context and deeper understanding.
- Uniform Guidelines: Reinforce your brand’s image through consistent uniform guidelines. This helps customers identify your team and adds a professional touch.
- Brand Specifics: Train employees on the unique aspects of your brand, like the specific arrangement of tables or the signature greeting used upon customer entry.
- Brand Voice: Guide your staff on how to communicate in a manner that aligns with your brand’s voice and personality.
By including brand training in your employee training, you’re equipping your staff to be brand ambassadors. A well-executed brand strategy builds customer trust and turns occasional visitors into loyal regulars.
Train Employees and Ignite Your Growth!
Well-trained employees contribute to a better customer experience and boost your bottom line. If you’re looking to take actionable steps right away, choose one or two tips from this list to focus on. Small, targeted improvements can have a ripple effect, increasing sales and promoting customer loyalty.
Stay tuned as we wrap up our Ignite Growth series next time with tips on revamping your marketing strategy. You won’t want to miss it!
