Saturday Nov 23, 2024
Saturday Nov 23, 2024
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Team Barista
The largest café chain in Sri Lanka, Barista, topped the charts for the second time in the renowned LMD
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| Barista CEO Dilupa Pathirana |
Customer Service Online Survey for 2021.
The survey is carried out by the LMD magazine every year and gauges the customer service excellence in various sectors via an online survey by its readers. The 2021 edition was carried out during the most challenging time period for Sri Lanka as the country was under a lockdown for several times and businesses were forced to operate under stringent COVID-19 regulations.
Barista Chief Executive Officer Dilupa Pathirana said: “In the aftermath of the COVID-19 restrictions, the hospitality and food industry took a huge hit. We had to redefine our customer service standards and move to serving customers online. Barista decided to change our strategies and take all the risks and chances and came out of our comfort zone to treat customers with love and care during this time.
“We were able to prove that the brand is not just a cup of coffee but a lifestyle partner who’d face anything with our stakeholders. Throughout the pandemic, Barista increased brand accessibility and affordability despite many challenges. Timely digital transformation of business platforms and redefinition of service standards that are suited for digital operations helped the brand to win the hearts of customers.”
Barista embeds customer service into the organisation’s DNA through initiatives involving change management, open communication, employee empowerment and instilling collective brand responsibility across all departments. Barista’s human resource department plays a vital role in carrying out brand enhancement activities, be it to conduct a complete training and development program for their young brew masters, implement an incentive plan for following customer service guidelines diligently or simply sending a letter of appreciation upon receiving customer compliments.
“As the leader in the market, we believe that we have a greater responsibility to expand the market and set service standards and we have decided to use innovative and alternative channels to reach out to new customers to increase Barista’s customer base and consumption frequency.
“Our intention is to grow our business through partnerships with global and local delivery platform providers, and the newly launched ‘Barista E-PSHOP’ and Barista Mobile App which is also the first-ever mobile app launched in Sri Lanka by a café chain,” Pathirana said.
“As a company, we plan to reach new geographical markets – especially tourist hot spots such as Mirissa, Ella, Sigiriya, Arugam Bay and more suburban areas by franchising with local entrepreneurs who are interested in operating a café with top rated coffee and service experiences,” added Pathirana.
