The hospitality industry often relies on alcohol service as a key part of the customer experience. However, businesses must also follow Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) requirements to ensure the safety of patrons and the broader community. This article explores how businesses can provide positive customer experiences while maintaining compliance with RSA laws.
Customer Experience
Hospitality is an intensely competitive industry, it’s not uncommon to see bars and restaurants come and go. There are many factors in the success of a venue, but one that can’t be overlooked is customer experience.
Quite simply, customer experience is the sum total of all interactions a customer has with your brand. It encompasses online journeys as well as in-person interactions – for a bar or restaurant, the in-person factor outweighs online.
Why is it so important? According to the Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer is between 5 and 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing customer.
In a bar and restaurant setting, the most important elements of customer experience are:]
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Customer service is obviously hugely important. We could write a whole article about customer service but in short there are three ways to ensure your customer service is excellent
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Reduce wait times for taking an order, food service and drink delivery. When people have to wait a long time for their order to be taken, the food to arrive or their drink to arrive they get annoyed. Sometimes there’s a rush and you have no control over it, the best option then is to set realistic expectations. If it’s going to be 30 minutes, tell customers it will be 30 minutes.
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If someone orders a pizza and gets delivered a salad, they’re likely not going to be happy. Making sure the order is accurate should always be top of mind.
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Quality of food and drink. No matter how good the customer service is or the wait time or how accurate you get the order, if the product is bad then no one is going to have a good experience.
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Finally, ambiance and décor also play their part.
Understanding Responsible Service of Alcohol
The Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course is an essential certificate in the hospitality industry. During the course you gain the knowledge and skills to responsibly serve customers alcohol and strategies and techniques to ensure the safety and wellbeing of customers.
During the course you learn to:
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Understand your obligations under the law
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Identify customers to whom alcohol service may be refused
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Responsibly assist customers to drink within appropriate limits
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Assist alcohol affected customers
As many of the elements of the RSA course are focussed on knowing when to refusing service and how to refuse service appropriately, some think that responsible service of alcohol is counterproductive for customer experience, but here at CTA Training Specialists, we think it actually enhances it but more on that a little later.
Challenges in Balancing Customer Experience with Responsible Service
The main challenge facing customer experience when it comes to responsible service of alcohol is refusing service. Many patrons expect to enjoy their time without restrictions and may feel frustrated when told they cannot have another drink. This is especially true for customers who equate the freedom to drink with their right as paying guests. When staff enforce responsible service policies, it can clash with these expectations, leading to dissatisfaction.
Refusing service can also be embarrassing for patrons, particularly when it happens in front of friends or other customers. They may perceive it as a public judgment of their behaviour or character, which can lead to feelings of shame or defensiveness. This emotional reaction can escalate into an argument, creating tension in the venue and disrupting the experience for other guests.
In some cases, patrons may become confrontational or cause a scene, challenging staff and undermining the atmosphere of the venue. For businesses, this creates a difficult situation. Staff must handle the conflict professionally to minimize disruption, but doing so can be challenging, especially in high-pressure environments. Balancing the need to enforce RSA policies while maintaining a positive environment for all patrons requires skill, patience, and clear communication.
Strategies
There are a number of key strategies that venues can implement to ensure that the challenges with responsible service of alcohol are met in a way that maintains customer experience.
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Consistent and ongoing training – training staff and keeping them up to date ensures that they feel comfortable and confidant in their abilities to refuse service to a patron. Good training should also give them conflict resolution skills to diffuse situations when refusing service.
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Clear policies – having clear policies removes any questions or grey areas from implementing policies. If staff know the policies and how to implement them, they will feel more confident and there will be no potential double standards. Visible signage stating the venue's policy can help manage customer expectations.
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Non-alcoholic options – having non-alcoholic options ensures that patrons can continue drinking after they have been cut-off from alcohol.
Benefits
Now to the benefits of responsible service of alcohol on customer experience.
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Minimisation of harm – proper service of alcohol will assist in minimising alcohol related incidents and the harm that can stem from them.
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Improved ambiance – ensuring that people do not become intoxicated and having no underage patrons will ensure the ambiance remains friendly and safe.
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Staff satisfaction – staff feeling confidant in themselves, the policies and working in a place that supports their well-being will increase their satisfaction.
Balancing RSA and customer experience is essential for businesses that serve alcohol. By training staff, setting clear policies, and offering alternatives to alcohol, venues can create enjoyable and safe environments for their customers.
