So it is confirmed it is quality of food and staff that customers want.

A recent survey on the Word of Mouth Online (WOMO) website, showed that the 1800 Australians involved, were not as impressed by offers as they are by good service.

The survey included three service industries; food service, personal care and tradespeople, and asked the respondents to rate the factors that would encourage them to use a business again.

The survey showed that having good quality product was the winner with 93 percent of those surveyed considering it the most important factor influencing whether they would buy from a business again.

However it was the 79 percent of respondents that rated “attentive and courteous staff” as the next most important factor that has the industries paying attention. Interestingly, only just over half of the respondents (54 percent) considered that fast service was important. So it is not how fast a person does their job but how well they do it that is the key.

Fiona Adler, founder of WOMO, said; “It’s apparent from these results that the consumer-business relationship is changing,” said. “People now seek a high-quality product or service first, and consider cost a lesser priority. This means businesses should be investing in staff training and using premium materials rather than cheap gimmicks and promotions. Consumers are also more vocal now than ever before, by telling businesses how they feel online. By tapping into this feedback, businesses should be able to create a successful model to build a more loyal customer base.”

So food businesses should be looking at increasing and improving their training, as this is obviously a good long term investment in the business.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.