Guest Complaint
Learning Objectives:
After reading the Learning Content, YOU MUST be able to:
1. Identify listening skills, Effective communication skills and customer service
skills.
2. Enumerate the different types of customer complaint and the
steps/procedures in handling guest complaints.
3. Follow the steps in handling guest complaint.
Introduction
Customer complaints are inevitable, no matter
how streamlined your business. They must
always be acknowledged and dealt with
effectively. By ignoring or dismissing complaints,
you are effectively telling the customer that you
don’t value their opinions.
Listening skills
Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in
the communication process. Listening is key to all effective communication.
Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood.
10 Steps To Effective Listening
Step 1: Face the speaker and maintain eye contact
Do your conversational partners the courtesy of turning to face them. Put
aside papers, books, the phone and other distractions. Look at them, even if
they don't look at you. Shyness, uncertainty, shame, guilt, or other emotions,
along with cultural taboos, can inhibit eye contact in some people under some
circumstances. Excuse the other guy, but stay focused yourself.
Step 2: Be attentive, but relaxed.
Now that you've made eye contact, relax. You don't have to stare fixedly at
the other person. You can look away now and then and carry on like a normal
person. The important thing is to be attentive. The dictionary says that to
"attend" another person means to:
• be present
• give attention
• apply or direct yourself
• pay attention
• remain ready to serve
Step 3: Keep an open mind.
Listen without judging the other person or mentally criticizing the things
she tells you. If what she says alarms you, go ahead and feel alarmed, but don't
say to yourself, "Well, that was a stupid move." As soon as you indulge in
judgmental bemusements, you've compromised your effectiveness as a listener.
Listen without jumping to conclusions. Remember that the speaker is
using language to represent the thoughts and feelings inside her brain. You
don't know what those thoughts and feelings are and the only way you'll find
out is by listening.
Step 4: Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
Allow your mind to create a mental model of the information being
communicated. Whether a literal picture, or an arrangement of abstract
concepts, your brain will do the necessary work if you stay focused, with
senses fully alert. When listening for long stretches, concentrate on, and
remember, key words and phrases.
When it's your turn to listen, don’t spend the time planning what to say
next. You can't rehearse and listen at the same time. Think only about what
the other person is saying.
Finally, concentrate on what is being said, even if it bores you. If your
thoughts start to wander, immediately force yourself to refocus.
Step 5: Don't interrupt and don't impose your "solutions."
Children used to be taught that it's rude to interrupt. Certainly the opposite is
being modeled on the majority of talk shows and reality programs, where loud,
aggressive, in-your-face behavior is condoned, if not encouraged.
Interrupting sends a variety of messages. It says:
• "I'm more important than you are."
• "What I have to say is more interesting, accurate or relevant."
• "I don't really care what you think."
• "I don't have time for your opinion."
• "This isn't a conversation, it's a contest, and I'm going to win."
Step 6: Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.
When you don't understand something, of course you should ask the
speaker to explain it to you. But rather than interrupt, wait until the speaker
pauses. Then say something like, "Back up a second. I didn't understand what
you just said about…"
Step 7: Ask questions only to ensure understanding.
This particular conversational affront happens all the time. Our
questions lead people in directions that have nothing to do with
where they thought they were going. Sometimes we work our way back to the
original topic, but very often we don't.
When you notice that your question has led the speaker astray, take
responsibility for getting the conversation back on track by saying something
like, "It was great to hear about Alice, but tell me more about your adventure in
Vermont."
Step 8: Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.
To experience empathy, you have to put yourself in the other person's
place and allow yourself to feel what it is like to be her at that moment. This is
not an easy thing to do. It takes energy and concentration. But it is a generous
and helpful thing to do, and it facilitates communication like nothing else does.
Step 9: Give the speaker regular feedback.
Show that you understand where the speaker is coming from by
reflecting the speaker's feelings. "You must be thrilled!" "What a terrible ordeal
for you." "I can see that you are confused." If the speaker's feelings are hidden
or unclear, then occasionally paraphrase the content of the message. Or just
nod and show your understanding through appropriate facial expressions and
an occasional well-timed "hmmm" or "uh huh."
The idea is to give the speaker some proof that you are listening, and
that you are following her train of thought, not off indulging in your own
fantasies while she talks to the ether.
Step 10: Pay attention to what isn't said—to nonverbal cues.
If you exclude email, the majority of direct communication is probably
nonverbal. We glean a great deal of information about each other without
saying a word. Even over the telephone, you can learn almost as much about a
person from the tone and cadence of her voice than from anything she says.
Face to face with a person, you can detect enthusiasm, boredom, or
irritation very quickly in the expression around the eyes, the set of the mouth,
the slope of the shoulders. These are clues you can't ignore. When listening,
remember that words convey only a fraction of the message.
The Top 10 Communication Skills
1. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your
emotions so as to communicate effectively, avoid stress, overcome challenges
and empathise with others. It’s a skill which is learned over time rather than
obtained.
There are four main strands to emotional intelligence: self-awareness,
self-management, social awareness and relationship management.
Each of these strands is important in its own way and allows you to
communicate confidently with a variety of people.
2. Cohesion and Clarity
Good communication is much more than saying the right thing; it is
about communicating messages clearly and concisely.
Before you start a conversation, type an email or begin a discussion, have in
mind what the purpose of the communication is and what information you
hope to obtain as a result.
Lack of clarity and cohesion can result in poor decisions and confusion.
3. Friendliness
In any type of communication, make sure that you set the right tone.
Always try to personalise messages, particularly when working with partners or
fellow colleagues.
Wishing the recipient a good weekend, for example, is a great way to
personalise your message.
4. Confidence
In all interactions, confidence (but not over-confidence) is crucial.
Demonstrating confidence will give customers faith in your abilities to deliver
what they need, and that you will follow through with what you have promised.
Conveying confidence can be something as simple as maintaining eye
contact during a conversation, or using a firm but friendly tone when speaking
with people over the phone.
5. Empathy
Empathy is also beneficial when speaking with customers in certain
types of customer-facing role.
The goal here is to understand where the other person is coming from and
respect their views even if they are very different from your own.
6. Respect
Empathy leads into the next communication skill, respect.
If you respect the ideas and opinions of others, they will be more likely to
communicate with you. Active listening or simply using the name of the person
you are speaking to can both be effective.
Make sure that when you type emails, you don’t sound insincere or write
in a way that is insincere.
7. Listening
Good communication is all about listening effectively. Take the time to
listen to what the other person is saying and practice active listening.
Pay attention to what the other person is saying, ask questions and clarify
points, and rephrase what they have said so that you know you have
understood correctly.
8. Open-Mindedness
Try to enter into communications without having an agenda.
Strong communications require an open mind and a commitment to
understanding other people’s points of view. If you disagree with the people you
are speaking to, try to reach a middle ground that benefits all parties.
Approaching a discussion with an open mind is more likely to result in a
successful outcome.
9. Tone of Voice
The tone of your voice can set the whole mood of the conversation. If you
start the discussion in an aggressive or unhelpful manner, the recipient will be
more inclined to respond in a similar way.
The tone of your voice will include the level of emotion that you use, the
volume you use and the level of communication you choose.
10. Asking Good Questions
Good questions can help conversations flow and improve the outcome.
During a conversation, always aim to ask open-ended questions. These are
questions with prompts which encourage the recipient to speak about certain
points and they require more detailed responses.
Most Important Customer Service Skills
1. Persuasive Speaking Skills
Specific type of speech in which the speaker has a goal of convincing the
audience to accept his or her point of view. The speech is arranged in such a
way as to hopefully cause the audience to accept all or part of the expressed
view.
2. Empathy
As the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to
imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. ...
“Cognitive empathy,” sometimes called “perspective taking,” refers to our ability
to identify and understand other people's emotions.
3. Adaptability
Ability of an entity or organism to alter itself or its responses to the
changed circumstances or environment. Adaptability shows the ability to learn
from experience, and improves the fitness of the learner as a competitor.
4. Ability to Use Positive Language
Using positive language teaches how to alter the language so that it comes
across as positive and constructive rather than abrasive and hostile. Using
positive language tends to reduce conflicts, improve communication, reduce
defensiveness in others and helps to portray the person as credible and
respectable
2. Clear Communication Skills
Clear communication is a complex, nuanced and teachable practice
essential for successful officers and leaders of character. Effective use of oral,
visual, written, and aural modes of communication signifies the professional
competence and knowledge expected in a leader while engendering the trust of
those being led.
3. Self-Control
Defined as the ability to manage your actions, feelings and emotions.
Self-control includes being able to stay on task and interrupt any undesired
impulsive reactions by refraining from acting on them. Self-control and
achievement. Being high in controlling our desires and impulses
is important in achieving the goals we set for ourselves.
4. Taking Responsibility
This means acknowledging the role you play in your own life – the good
bits and the bad bits. Rather than looking around for someone or something
else to blame, you must accept that you are in charge of what is going on.
5. Patience
A person's ability to wait something out or endure something tedious,
without getting riled up. ... Having patience means you can remain calm, even
when you've been waiting forever or dealing with something painstakingly slow
or trying to teach someone how to do something and they just don't get it.
9. Effective Listening
The ability to actively understand information provided by the speaker,
and display interest in the topic discussed. It can also include providing the
speaker with feedback, such as the asking of pertinent questions; so the
speaker knows the message is being understood.
10. Attentiveness
You probably notice that the word attentive looks a lot like the noun
attention. Use the adjective attentive to describe someone who is full of
attention, watching and listening carefully, such as an attentive student who
takes great notes and asks questions when something isn't clear.
11. Time Management
Is the process of organizing and planning how to divide
your time between specific activities. Good time management requires an
important shift in focus from activities to results: being busy isn't the same as
being effective.
12. Willingness to Improve
Willingness can be defined as a readiness, desire, inclination or
preparedness. Willingness to improve is a skill you need in your employees no
matter what department they’re in.
13. Knowledge
The fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained
through experience or association. The fact or condition of being aware of
something.
14. Ability to Admit You Don’t Have the Answer
Customer arms themselves with knowledge and generally attempt to
solve their own issues before contacting your reps. while it may be
embarrassing when a customer know more than your customer service
representative, if that rep gets flustered while trying to hide a lack of
knowledge, you may lose business. Instead, encourage your reps to admit
when the don’t know something or are wrong, and offer to find the answer
15. Thick Skin
The definition of thick skinned is someone who is not easily upset or
insulted and who can take criticism well. An example of thick skinned is a
person who is insulted and simply says "whatever, I don't care."
Most Common Types of Customer Complaints, and How to Handle Them
An online community can be the perfect outlet for transforming customer
support into a powerful and engaging experience. Online communities provide
efficient support through improved customer knowledge; people can resolve
problems at their own speed and learn as much or as little as they want. No
customer support strategy is perfect. Customers will continue to complain and
customer support will fail to meet expectations. In fact, 78% of consumers end
a business relationship due to poor customer service.
1. The Meek Customer
The Meek Customer will avoid submitting a complaint because he or she
doesn't want to be a pain or believes you don't care.
How to Respond: Start a conversation - perhaps during a check-in call or by
sending a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey - to gauge customer satisfaction,
start a dialog, and actively resolve any complaints.
The Risk: The customer will leave quietly without giving you any indication as
to what went wrong. 91% of unhappy customers who are non-complainers
simply leave. Do not view absence of feedback as a sign of satisfaction.
2. The Aggressive Customer
The exact opposite of the Meek Customer, the Aggressive Customer will
loudly voice any complaints and will not accept excuses.
How to Respond: Thank the customer for sharing their concern and listen. Be
polite, agree on the definition of the problem, and explain what's being done to
resolve the situation and when.
The Risk: In heated customer situations, it's easy to become confrontational.
Mirroring the customer's aggressive behavior will only make the situation
worse. Thanking the customers for sharing their concerns lets them know you
are sincerely interested in hearing what they have to say and reaching a
mutually-beneficial resolution.
3. The High Roller Customer
Perhaps your enterprise customers, these individuals pay well, and
expect premium support. A High Roller Customer is likely to complain in a
reasonable manner, unless he or she is an Aggressive Customer hybrid.
How to Respond: This customer wants the best. Listen respectfully,
acknowledge that a problem exists, understand the details of the situation, and
work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
The Risk: Like The Aggressive Customer, the High Roller Customer doesn't
want to hear excuses. They want the problem resolved in a timely manner.
4. The Rip-Off Customer
Instead of looking for an answer or satisfactory support experience, the
Rip-Off Customer is looking for a handout.
How to Respond: Maintain composure and respond objectively. If the
customer constantly and repetitively says your solution isn't good enough, use
accurate quantified data to backup your response.
The Risk: If not handled correctly, this customer may take advantage of your
company and end up with something he or she doesn't deserve.
5. The Chronic Complainer Customer
The Chronic Complainer Customer is never happy and continuously
reports issues.
How to Respond: Although it may be frustrating, it's still your responsibility to
provide excellent support to the Chronic Complainer. He or she wants an
apology. Listen respectfully, provide a sympathetic ear, and put forth an honest
effort to correct the situation.
The Risk: It's very likely that the Chronic Complainer will contact support
again. However, unlike the Rip-Off Customer, this customer will accept and
appreciate your efforts to fix the situation. Despite their constant complaints,
Chronic Complainers are often repeat customers and will tell others about
positive support experiences.
No matter the complainer, actively take note of what your customer is saying.
Complaints, although frustrating, present an opportunity to strengthen your
support experience. After a support issue is resolved, use customer feedback as
inspiration for new community content. For example, create a best practices
checklist or new tutorial video based on a lessons learned from a conversation
with an unhappy customer. This will create a more powerful self-service
experience that benefits not only your customer, but also your support team.
The following are the steps in handling guest complaints:
• Approach the complaining customer politely as you say:
“Anything I can do for you or How may I help you?”
• Listen attentively; let him finish his statement before reaching. If the
message is not clear, confirm or clarify.
“If I got you right Sir, are you saying that…”
• Get more details:
Guest : Your service is lousy.
Waiter : What exactly went wrong Sir?
Could you recall the name of the waiter?
• Be calm and sober even if the customer is rude or shouting at the peak of
his voice. Be gracious and courteous no matter how irritating
• Give the guest your undivided attention. Concentrate on the problem, no
on placing blame. Do NOT Insult the guest.
• Isolate the guest if possible, so that other guests won't overhear.
• Never pass the buck (blame)
• Take appropriate action immediately and assure the complaining
customer that his concern is being taken seriously and that corrective
action shall be taken.
• Show appreciation rather than irritation upon receiving a complaint or
negative remark thank you sir bringing
