It is easy as small business owners to get tunnel vision or a jaded perspective on what our guests want, what is working well, and where we need to improve.  It is also easy to get complacent in areas that are not our passions or areas of expertise and since they are working “well enough” they don’t get the attention they sometimes need.  A fresh perspective from our guests can help us to see any blind spots that need our attention.  

The best way to do this is through a survey.  Today we are going to talk about the different ways to conduct surveys and what questions we should ask.

What should the survey include?

Keep it short...

This can be a tough one to navigate.  Should you charge for the 85-year-old grandmother that is just there to watch her grandchild open presents at a birthday party?  Should you charge for parents that are there to help with the field trip?  What about someone that is physically handicapped and won’t be participating in any activities?  These are all tough scenarios to navigate while keeping your customers happy but let’s talk through some of the options you have.

Insurance
First and foremost, check with your insurance carrier to see what their requirements are around this.  I have never personally run into a provider that...

Long lines are one of those things we consider a “good problem to have”.  Unfortunately, long lines can be a frustration for your guests and not a good way to start their fun day at the farm.  Here are some tips to keep those lines moving.

1. Good Signage

Be sure you have easy-to-read signs at your check-in area.  Not just at the cash register but in several places that can be easily seen from the lines so customers can be more prepared when it is their turn to pay. 

2. Limited Options

Keep it Simple.  Don’t have too many combo packages or options.  Studies have shown that limiting options to 3 or less is the sweet spot in situati...

Last week we talked about how to be intentional about customer service and we focused on being relational. I was thinking about how that skill is sometimes easier for some than it is for others. Some people come by it naturally when others have to work at it. We recommend instructing your staff and maybe even role playing how to implement this quality. Let’s face it. Some of our guests make it very difficult to be relational. Confrontational maybe, but not relational! But our response to difficult situations will set us apart from the competition.

This week I want to focus on the second aspect of intentional customer service. While it is...

Let’s continue talking about your traffic flow and look at the layout of your venue. Safety is a crucial factor when it comes to evaluating our policies and procedures, so we need to evaluate any safety issues when it comes to how vehicles enter, exit and travel throughout your property.

Traffic Flow

As I shared before, at one of our locations we were looking for a feasible way to redesign the flow of traffic. One of the biggest drawbacks to the existing design forced our guests to have to navigate the flow of traffic as it entered and exited the property. The entrance to our agritourism venue and the location of the farm store were both...

In today’s post we need to deal with a tedious, but important part of any agritourism venture. It’s that part of your business that will cause you problems from day one and your guests will notice as soon as they arrive. It’s that area of your business that makes no money in itself, but allows for you to be very successful! It can be your greatest asset or the source of your downfall. Sounds serious right? It is your parking lot.

One of the greatest stress factors for any guest begins when they arrive and attempt to enter your venue. You have heard it said that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”? Your parking area...

1.  Clean & Plentiful Bathrooms

The reality is that most Agritourism venues with heavy seasonal crowds don’t have enough indoor bathroom facilities to keep up with the demand.  That means we have to resort to the dreaded Porta-Potty.  This is the worst nightmare of germaphobes’.  Your guests may be on their way to having an outstanding customer experience (see our blog post from last week) and a dirty bathroom or Porta-Potty may be the lasting memory that sticks longer that all the great experiences they had that day.  Or if their 5-year-old decides they have to go NOW and there are long lines for all the bathrooms.

With ev...