STRENGTHENING CUSTOMER LOYALTY FOUNDATIONS THROUGH EMPLOYEE SERVICE TRAINING: A COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM FOR A CULINARY MSME

Abstrak

ABSTRACT

Introduction: This community service activity addresses the customer retention challenge faced by Mawars Patisseries, a culinary MSME where customer interactions remained predominantly transactional, resulting in a pattern of one-time purchases rather than repeat visits. The program was designed to introduce employees to relationship-oriented service approaches and to develop practical strategies for improving customer interactions.

Methods: The activity employed a participatory training approach consisting of three interactive sessions: brainstorming and material presentation on customer loyalty and relationship marketing concepts, role-play simulations for practical service skill development, and solution-focused discussion to identify barriers and formulate actionable strategies. The activity was attended by eight participants, consisting of the business owner and seven frontline staff.

Results: The findings indicate that the program produced three concrete outputs: demonstrated employee understanding of relationship-oriented service concepts, a draft service communication guideline, and a proposed low-cost Loyalty Stamp Card program. A one-week follow-up indicated initial adoption of the new greeting practices, though systematic impact measurement on customer behavior requires longer-term evaluation.

Conclusion and suggestion: This suggests that focused employee capacity-building interventions can strengthen the foundation for customer loyalty practices in MSMEs, while future programs would benefit from incorporating pre- and post-intervention assessments and longer follow-up periods to measure behavior change and customer responses.