Our Daily Bread — Customer Service Manual (Retail & Delivery)

This manual is written for Our Daily Bread’s customer-facing teams: front-of-house staff, phone and email representatives, delivery drivers, and store managers. It focuses on measurable targets, practical workflows, and escalation procedures that reduce complaints, increase repeat business, and protect food-safety compliance. The guidance below is vendor-agnostic and built from industry best practices for artisan bakeries and small-scale food retailers serving both walk-in and online customers.

Expect this document to be used as a living checklist for onboarding, weekly coaching, and quarterly process audits. When implemented, typical outcomes are: 10–20% reduction in repeat complaints within 90 days, 5–8% increase in same-customer repeat purchase rate, and an average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) improvement to a target of 85–92%.

Operational KPIs and Targets

Set concrete targets and measure them daily. Core KPIs: phone answer time ≤20 seconds; email response time ≤4 business hours; first contact resolution (FCR) ≥70%; order accuracy ≥99%; on-time local delivery 90%+ (window ±15 minutes). Track volume metrics: average orders per day, peak hour orders per hour, and contact-to-order ratio. Typical small-bakery volumes are 150–600 orders/day depending on size; map CSR staffing to peaks (1 CSR per 200–300 orders/day for omnichannel support).

Cost and quality metrics to budget for: average cost-per-contact ($3–$8 for email/phone with CRM automation), average refund rate target 1–3% of revenue, and average handle time (AHT) goals—<4 minutes for phone, <12 minutes total to resolve digital order issues. Maintain rolling 90-day dashboards and quarterly service reviews to adjust staffing and process improvements.

Channels, Scripts, and Response Standards

Our Daily Bread should support at least five channels: in-store counter, phone line, email, web chat/online order portal, and social media (Facebook/Instagram DMs). Each channel must have a documented SLA and a short opening script to ensure consistent tone and compliance (e.g., allergy questions, refund eligiblity).

• In-store counter — Greeting within 10 seconds; AM rush script for up-selling (e.g., “Would you like your bread sliced or toasted?”); immediate manager escalation for visible product defects or allergen queries. Average transaction time: 60–120 seconds.
• Phone — Answer within 20 seconds; verify name and order number; confirm delivery time windows; transfer to manager for refunds >$25 or repeat complaints. Document every call in CRM with outcome codes (resolved, escalated, follow-up required).
• Email/Web portal — Acknowledge within 2 hours; resolve routine requests within 24 hours; require photos for damaged product claims; process refunds or replacements within 48 hours after verification.
• Social media — Public reply within 60 minutes for operational hours, move conversation to DM for order-specific details. Monitor sentiment trends weekly to detect service-impacting issues.

Refunds, Replacements, and Food-Safety Protocols

Policies must be clear, written, and posted at point of sale and on the website. Perishable item refunds: accept complaints within 24–72 hours of delivery for same-day/next-day perishables; provide replacement delivery within 24 hours local or full refund. Non-perishable returns: 14–30 day window with original receipt. Typical refund coverage: product price plus delivery if the error was on our side.

Food-safety recordkeeping: maintain temperature logs and production batch records for 12–24 months, depending on local regulations. Implement a written allergen-handling procedure and train all staff to ask the three standard screening questions (name, specific allergen, severity) before confirming orders. For product recalls, have a template customer notification ready with batch IDs and instructions; aim for customer outreach within 24 hours of detection.

Staffing, Training, and Performance Management

Role definitions: front-of-house cashier/CSR, dedicated order-packer, phone/email CSR, delivery driver, shift supervisor. New hire onboarding: 12–16 hours of classroom + 8–12 hours of supervised shift work over the first 2 weeks. Required certifications: basic food safety (ServSafe or equivalent) for all handlers; advanced allergen training for 20% of staff (supervisors).

Performance cadence: daily quick huddles (5–10 minutes) to share issues, weekly one-on-ones for first 3 months, and quarterly performance reviews thereafter. Use mystery shopping (once per quarter) and a 7-question CSAT survey after each online order to maintain quality. Target annual staff turnover below 25%; if turnover exceeds 30%, budget for increased recruitment and training costs (~$1,200–$3,000 per replacement hire in total).

Technology, Integrations, and Reporting

Invest in an integrated POS + order management system that syncs in-store sales with web orders and a CRM that tags interactions to order IDs. Essential features: real-time inventory sync, automatic SLA alerts for delayed orders, digitized signatures or photo proof for deliveries, and an IVR with an option to speak to a live agent. Expect initial integration costs of $3,000–$10,000 for small operations and monthly SaaS fees $50–$500 depending on scale.

• Daily reports: total orders, fulfilled/on-time %, refunds count/value, top 5 complaint types, CSAT score, and active escalations.
• Weekly/Monthly reports: trend analysis (30/90/365 days), staff performance metrics, cost-per-contact, and revenue impact of service actions (e.g., refund vs. coupon redemption).
• Dashboards: live SLA heatmap, queue length, average handle time, and a root-cause tagcloud to prioritize process fixes.

Pricing, Service Fees, and Customer Programs

Example pricing models that align customer expectations with service costs: loaves $4.50–$6.50; specialty items $8–$18; local delivery flat fee $3.99–$5.99 or free over $25–$35. Offer a subscription program (weekly loaf) at $12–$18/week with a 5–10% discount and priority delivery slots. Catering minimums: $75–$150 with 48–72 hours lead time and a 10% service charge for orders under the established lead time.

Use loyalty tiers to reduce friction: Bronze (no fee), Silver (free local delivery over $20), Gold (monthly fee $9.99 — 10% off + priority pickup). Clearly publish service hours and cutoff times (e.g., online orders for same-day pickup must be placed by 10:30 AM local time) to reduce misunderstandings and disputes.

Escalation Matrix and Contact Best Practices

Internal escalation timeline: Level 1 (CSR) resolves within 2 hours; Level 2 (Supervisor) responds within 24 hours; Level 3 (Store Manager or Director) closes high-impact issues within 3 business days. For recurring systemic issues (more than 3 similar complaints in 7 days), trigger a process review and corrective action plan with documented root cause analysis within 5 business days.

Public-facing contact guidance: publish an order-help email (orders@[your-domain].example) and a phone support window—e.g., 8:00–17:00 Monday–Friday, extended weekend support 7:00–13:00 Saturday. Include a short escalation form on the website for unresolved issues so customers get a guaranteed human response within the stated SLA. Always end interactions with a clear next step and timeframe (e.g., “I will refund your order within 48 hours and call you when the transaction posts”).