To think hospitality bosses are pushing customer service too far?

[Tired75646]

I work in a pub chain, standard cheap family friendly chain, everything set from above to run exactly the same in all branches. We've had new training essentially to improve customer service, great in theory but it seems to be more and more intrusive and actually just upselling.
For each customer we are expected to upsell extras at the bar (repeatedly, for every meal ordered), upsell larger drinks, desserts etc, try and upsell another drink when we do their checkback, then again upsell desserts when we clear their plates, as well as asking each table to leave us a review. We are also expected not just to quickly check their food is OK but linger and ask follow up questions, we should be making full conversation with each table as opposed to brief chat chat as we serve. Bear in mind we don't offer table service, you seat yourself, order at the bar and wait for your drinks then we bring the food, and we have minimal staff at any time.
It seems overkill and actually annoying for a lot of guests, I'm happy to chat with customers who want a chat, but most people want to spend their time with whoever they've come with, not their waitress, and I personally would be really put off by the constant attempts to upsell.
It's all monitored, we have secret shoppers which includes all these things so if we miss one of the upsell stages we get marked down and that staff member would get called in for a meeting. We get weekly figures on staff members upselling and anyone below a certain level is on a list, anyone who doesn't get enough reviews is on a warning list, it just seems ridiculous for a minimum wage job.
The GM agrees its overkill but that's how it is, and everything that is measured affects his bonus so he of course wants to make sure everything is done as Head Office want.
AIBU to think that most customers don't want this much hassle for a meal out? That just friendly, polite service with a quick check on the food is enough?

I agree with you, but I do understand these edicts come from above so I'd never be resentful or rude to waiting staff for it - a No thanks with a smile is enough. Thanks for coming to explain it though!

It IS overkill and cringey. And manipulating people out of money that they wouldn't spend on their own. It is fake as well. I think you should anonymously send this reply up your chain of command.

People need a slower life, not being fakely pushed by business to spend more.

I would resign iiwy.

It's been nearly 20 years since I worked in pubs but it was getting that bad back then and it was bloody awful. You could tell that customers found it really intrusive and now when I'm the customer I hate it. I smile and nod out of sympathy for the staff because I know they're just trying to avoid getting in trouble if a mystery shop appears. But it is so ridiculous.
Same in shops and I wonder when senior management will realise how offputting it is.

As a customer, I prefer efficient, helpful and knowledgeable service. I don’t want someone attempting to sell me more than I want and I hate being asked to leave a review. Upselling, pushiness etc would make me choose not to go there again.

As you say, it isn’t even table service for the most part.

It sounds like a lot of pressure for a minimum wage job tbh

I work in hospitality/retail and have to this, all part of the job. If you talk naturally when interacting with guests all that you are being asked to do will not sound forced or intrusive. You will find in time it becomes second nature to ask about upselling and just chatting and being friendly when taking an order is all part of the job. The more you overthink the harder it will become.

This is nothing new. There's been "upselling" in shop and pub chains for 2 or 3 decades. Perhaps it's getting more widespread these days?? Certainly seems to happen more in new car dealerships these days and the furniture store chains where it's almost obligatory to get offered a coffee and cake/biscuit the moment you walk in!! You can really tell which chains impose the "script" on their staff!

Personally, I don't find it a problem, I just smile and say "no thanks" whether it's someone in a pub food chain trying to flog a dessert, or someone in a shop trying to flog a bar of chocolate with a newspaper or someone in a winter coat shop trying to sell a bottle of washing fluid or someone in a shoe shop trying to sell leather cleaner. However, I rarely refuse the coffee and cake/biscuit in furniture shops or car dealerships!! The vast majority of CS staff just accept a polite "no thanks" and conclude the transaction, with everyone being happy!

The real problems are the staff who won't take a polite "no thanks" for an answer - I'm looking at YOU, Currys!! Where you often have to get quite assertive for the CS staff to accept you don't want their extended warranty, cables, etc!

I wouldnt return to a place like this and I would make the company know why.
Like in Curry's and Jd sports when staff jump on you as soon as you dare breathe in their stores.

I work for a company who do the same with insurances and it's just as annoying for us. Pulled in weekly over targets and mystery shoppers.

These companies need to stop harassing customers.

I hate it when staff chat and linger then ask you to do a review- make sure you add their name etc

There’s a cleaner at McDonalds cherry street in Birmingham who will stand over your should and basically force you to fill ina. Review. It’s really annoying.

I agree with that. You can tell which CS staff are more experienced, not only with upselling, but also with general customer conversation/chit chat, as they do, indeed, manage to offer the upselling in normal conversation without it sounding forced nor talking from a script.

I worked in retail and had similar... especially the infamous store credit card!
Horrible tactics and not great for customer relations. Especially if you want to eat your meal in peace.

The NHS used to do that. About 20 years ago, I needed an MRI scan, and the two people doing it were pretty awful, really abrupt and impatient. At the end, one of them handed me an A4 form and a pen and "told" me to complete the survey. There was no flat surface to write properly on it, and both were watching me as I tried to complete it on my knee. Once I did it, there was no box or similar to put it in so I just had to hand it back to one of them. I'm pretty sure that mine and other less than complimentary ones would have simply been "lost" or filed in the waste bin. At the very least there should have been somewhere to write it away from their staring eyes and a box to put it in - even better would have been handing me the form and asking me to complete it in reception! Absolutely pointless having questionnaires where you can't be open and honest with your review and the ability to put it somewhere more likely to be actioned!

I get its part of the job, like it or leave but it seems counterproductive to me. Last week I had a woman do a shooing gesture when I did her checkback, so I obviously didn't try to upsell desserts when I cleared her plates,just said to have a good evening, but I got told off by my manager for it, there just isn't room for common sense.
I stay because I've been here a while I've managed to get a set rota so it works for me around my family. But for most new starters it's a case of work when they need you, rare weekends off, rota can change with 2 days notice, plus low pay and now quite a lot of pressure day to day as well, it doesn't seem conducive to having a quality, steady team.

Some free feedback for your employer.

1. We know that all the faux 'is that a large drink' or 'can I get you any more drinks at all' isn't 'good service', it's upselling. At least make sure your staff know to offer drinks when people's glasses are starting to look empty, not when they're still full, or when people have been sitting there with an empty glass for 10 minutes. Also, if someone has just said they're full and want their leftovers for takeaway, they're unlikely to want dessert, no matter how often you offer it.
2. When your staff do the 'check back' make sure they know to not ask when someone has a mouthful of food and what to do if someone says that something is under/over cooked/not what they ordered. Panicking, mumbling 'I'll mention it to the chef' and running off is not it.
3. When people have finished eating it will usually be obvious when they're ready to pay up and leave. If they've started to look around, wave their card in the air or put their coat on, it's way past that time. Wait staff who pester customers throughout the meal to order things they don't want, but then disappear when the bill needs paying really annoys people to the extent that they may not come back, and the unscrupulous ones may even leave without paying.

Why do they think people want conversations with random staff members while they're eating their food? So silly!

I’ve been known to thank staff in the past for not upselling. Although that’s usually when I’ve just replied ‘No’ to the question about whether I have a loyalty card, and they haven’t tried to push me into getting one.

I agree.

Years ago I went with a meal with a friend. I'd just had a bereavement, she'd separated from her long term partner. We wanted to talk over a meal.

The staff would not leave us alone. How was each course? Would we like anything else? Did we want pepper? Grated cheese? More water? Did we want more wine [because they'd done that thing where they leave it out of reach so they have to pour it for you - fine in Le Manoir, less so in a chain Italian]

At one point my friend was crying. Staff chose that moment to ask if we'd like to see the dessert menu, completely oblivious to my sobbing friend.

We gave up and left. I get that they were probably made to do it, but the companies behind this constant pushing/up-selling need to realise how irritating it is for customers!

ugh the waiting to pay kills me. Especially as I usually have to get a bus/train so can’t just sit there indefinitely.

the other thing is coming back approx 1 min after serving food to say ‘everything ok?’ - I don’t know I’ve barely started.

@Bjorkdidit

When your staff do the 'check back' make sure they know to not ask when someone has a mouthful of food

This!! I find that probably the most annoying thing. I do think that staff should apply a bit of common sense. Similarly, as you say, about offering more drinks when you've barely sipped the first one! And even more yes to them disappearing when you've finished and want to pay after they've been hovering around disturbing you throughout your meal.

I think sometimes staff become so fixed focus on "procedures", they actually forget about common sense and the human touch. No doubt caused by the blunt instrument tick box approach of mystery shoppers etc, but there must be a happy medium where the "boxes can be ticked" without pissing off the customers. Lots of CS staff manage it, so I suspect it must be a training or management issue.

You're not wrong. I worked in retail back in the early 2000's, we were supposed to approach and make eye contact with every customer who wandered on to the department, encourage add on sales, promote the store card (and the PPI), the catalogue, the loyalty card... customers hated it, staff hated it.

The funny thing was the only time we religiously stuck to the approach of make eye contact and offer help to every customer was when we had a regional manager visiting, and customers would clock what we were doing and start avoiding us. People want to be left alone, but to have a member of staff easy to find if they do need help. Staff should be paying attention and looking out for customers looking for them/wandering around with a lost look on their face, not hassling people who have only come in for a pair of socks and know exactly where they are.