2.1 billion cups of coffee are poured every year here in Australia making us the 47th biggest consumers of coffee in the world, a somewhat startling ranking when you stop and think about it. For Vincent Leonardis and the team at CBTB Coffee House in Adelaide’s west, its quality over quantity – every time. Taking old fashioned customer service values to every interaction he has with a customer, Vincent and the team are a shining light in how to do customer service right. Here’s what he thinks makes all the difference…
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Do you really see your customers?

Vincent talks a lot about the importance of actually seeing people. How many times have you walked into a cafe or store and not been acknowledged until you come to buy something at the counter? You may as well be invisible until you’re ready to hand over your cash. Is this really the message you want to send to your paying customers? Well, it’s definitely not something you’d experience at CBTB. Acknowledgement of walking into the cafe, by name if you’ve been in even once before, is the cornerstone to this old-school camaraderie.

Take the time to personally connect.

Another old school value CBTB possess is the genuine interest in how their customers are and what they are up too. Vincent often spends the majority of his shift talking to customers, leaving the espresso making up to his very capable team. The real magic here happens on the floor, where conversations around the large communal table are taking place and Vincent is engaging with as many of his customers as possible. It’s energy well spent with customers remembering and returning to the coffee house time and time again.

Be patient.

CBTB is not your average cafe, I think we have established that. But in this day and age people are growing more and more withdrawn from humans and more and more attached to their mobile devices. Something Vincent sees a lot of. His attitude with those customers who aren’t open to engagement is patience – something innately present in this business owner. He is never discouraged and with time he finds his patient and no-fuss approach to all his customers lends to more and more conversations as time goes on.

Give them something to belong to.

The CBTB brand is more than just a logo on a cup. It is a representative of the local community, who all know how hard it is to find a park at 8am on any given morning out the front of the coffee house. By implementing the practices outlined above and in the podcast, the CBTB brand is able to give people a sense of belonging. Somewhere where they will always be greeted kindly by name and asked how they are.

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Listen to the whole podcast here.

Thank you again for tuning in and listening to the BTD podcast, I can’t wait for this next instalment to bring you more inspiring people talking about things that they are truly passionate about.

Amelia xx