Handling Complaint

Handling Complaint

       What is handling complaints?

       A complaint is a statement in which the customer express their dissastisfaction with the particular situasion. How to handle or to solve customers’ dissastisfaction is called handling complaints. It is very important, when we work in the hospitality and tourism industry. Because if we do not attent to the customer he/she leave feeling dissatisfied. A dissatisfied customer can damage a hotel’s reputation significantly.

 Steps in Handling Complaint

There are twelve steps to headle complaints, either face to face or over the telephone :

1.      Adopt a positive attitude

•  Attitude is the foundation of the service. Without a positive attitude you will never find the nescessary motivation to solve your customers’ problems.
• Acknowledge the fact that customers are the most important thing for your organization and commit yourself to doing your best to delight them, everyday and in each interactio.
•   Develop a genuine interest in helping customers when they need you.

2.      Reassure the customer

•   Allow the customers do whatever they want. When they feel upset, communicating with them be very difficult unless he/she calm down;therefore, allow them to vent his anger.
• Let him talk and do not interrupt him.
• Do not take any of his remarks personal. 
•   Emphasize that your job is to help him find a solutions.

3.      Establish empathy

•  For a customer with a problem it is comforting to know that the employee understands his situation. Make a real effort to put yourself in the customer’s shoes.
• Use emotional and empathetic lines such as:”I understand how you feel”, “I am sorry you had this experience with us”.
• Regardless of whether it’s the company’s fault or not, the problem is real. Face it and do not question the customer.

4.      Offer an apology

•   Offer an apology on behalf of the organization. Sometimes this is all customers want. 
•   Do not point fingers and do not put other departements or employess on the spot.

5.      Identify the problem and the cause

•  Ask effective questions that help you understand the problem and its cause.
• Listen carefully to the customer. 
• Upset customers often stray away from the core issue. Get the conversation back in track when this happens.
• Be as thorough as possible. Sometimes a complaint is just the tip of the iceberg.

6.      Guide the customer

• If the problem was caused by a product or service misuse, or was due to lack of awareness or information, explain the causes and instruct the customer so that this does not happen again in the future.

7.      Request or offer alternative solutions

•  Ask the customer how he would like his problem to be solved. If it is in your hands, do it, otherwise request authorization. Do not worry, in most cases customer demands are much less than we imagine. What most customers want is a fair deal.
• If what the customers requests is not feasible, offer him different alternatives to solve his problem. Not all people settle for the same.

8.      Communicate the steps to follow

•  Explain the customer all the steps or actions yuo will undertake to get his problem solved.
• Agree on the contact channel and frequency to keep him posted juring the whole process.

9.      Solve the problem

•  Embrace the complaint. Do not ask your self if it hasto do withyour job function. The customer complained to you, so this complaint is yours and it is your responsibility to solve it. 
•   Act immediately. A customer problem is prioritynumber one. Do not write it down on your to do’s list. 
•  If the solution is not in your hands, refer it to the corresponding area but never disown the problem. Make a close follow up and keep the customer informed.

1  Inform the customer when the problem is solve

• Contact the customer when the problem has been solved.

11.  Compensate the customer or go the extra mile

•  Offer the customer some kind of additional retribution for his bad experience. It does not need to be monetary, but it has to be valuable. For example, an airline could offer an upgrade; an hotel could offer a free day of Internet access from the customer’s room.
• If you are not authorized to offer compensations, do something special to surprise the customer and exceed his expectations. For example, when a customer’s brand new car broke down while driving to the airport, the service manager at the car dealer sent over an employee to pick him up and take him to the terminal, and a few days later he showed up in person at the arrival’s gate to meet the customer with his car fixed and a box of chocolates.

12.  Monitor final satisfaction.

• Contact the customer a few days later to make sure he ‘s satisfied whit the way the problem was solved and ask him if there is anything else the company can do for him.

There are three basic rules which should be followed by front desk personnel receiving verbal complaint, as follows:

1.      Listen with concern and courtesy.

2.      Never raise our voice.

3.      Never become impolite or show disinterest.

Problem that we face during our duty as a hotel staff can come from the hotel it self or from the guest. Here some way to deal with the problems:

1.      Dealing with problems happen because hotel facilities:

•  As a receptionist, it may not be your job to help guests personally with their needs, but you can organize things that should have been done for them. 
•   After saying that something should have been done, you need to tell the guest that you will deal with the problem.

For example:

Guest               : Our room has not been cleaned.

Receptionist    : It should have been cleaned. I’ll contact Housekeeping straight                               away.

•  You should say sorry if it is the fault of the hotel and say something polite if the fault is  the guest’s.

For example:

Guest               : The sheets are dirty. They need replacing.

Receptionist    : I am verry sorry sir. They should have replaced. I’ll contact                                      Housekeeping straight  away.

2.      Dealing with problem as the guest fault.

For example:

Guest               : I’m afraid I’ve knocked the vase down.

Receptionist    : It’s all right. I’ll send someone to clean up the pieces and bring                                another one for you.

Some mistakes of the guest:

•  Knock over a plate of food , a vase of flowers.
• Break a glass.
•  Spill some face powder on the floor, some milk on the carpet.
•  Pull the curtain down, an electric wire out of the plug, a towel rain out of the wall.
•  Drop the breakfast tray on the floor.
•  Tear the sheets.
•  Children draw a picture on the wall.

There are two kinds of ways in handling complaints:

1.  Handling by ourselves

Ø  Listen to the guest carefully, be polite, except when it is absolutely neccessary,and listen with full attention what the guest want to say.

Ø  Make a short clear apology.

Ø  After the guest expressing his complaint, you should repeat the complaint.

Ø  Handle the complaint. If the problem is not a serious one you can deal with yourself. You should explain to the costumer the action you plan to take and tell her or him when it will be done.

Example of dialogue:

 Guest  :  This tea is too sweet, and I specifically wanted tea without sugar.

Waiter :  I’m sorry ma’am. I’ll bring a cup of tea without sugar immediately. Please excuse the mistake.

Guest   : No problem, things happen.

Waiter : Here is your tea ma’am. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Please enjoy the rest of your meal.

Guest   : Thank you.

2.  Handling by the supervisor or manager.

Ø  When a guest with a complaint or request approaches you, follow the basic steps.

Ø  The guest, who is complaining , should be informed of the action being taken every step of the way.

Ø  Inform the supervisor or manager of the situation. Make sure to give him or her all the information including the background of the guest.

Ø  Supervisor or manager must contact the guest and explain to  the guest that Supervisor or manager has been informed about the situation. If the guest is still not satisfied, the Department Head be informed.

Ø  After a solution has been reached, the key person who dealt with the guest on this case go back and check to see if the guest is satisfied.

Ø  A log must be maintained detailing the situation.

Ø  The entire making it right procedure should be completed within 24 hours.

Example of dialogue:

Receptionist    : Good morning. May I help you?

Guest               : Yes, I’m in room 234. I have been really annoyed for two nights.

Receptionist    : I’m very sorry to hear it, Madam. What exactly has been happening, Ms. Ria?

           Guest               : Someone knocks on my door every night but when I open it there is no one there. I’ve telephoned the receptionis twice but there is no reply. If  this still happens again, I’ll leave the hotel.

Receptionist    : I’m terribly sorry about this Ms. Ria. So, there has been someone knocking on your door for two night and you have actually telephoned the receptionist twice, but there is no reply.

Guest               : Yes, what kind of hotel is this ignoring such a serious                                    complaint from a guest? Can I talk to your supervisor?

Receptionist    : Certainly, Ms.Ria. Would you wait for a moment please?

Guest               :  Yes, but hurry up please.

Receptionist    : Ms.Ria, this is Mr. Heraguna, my supervisor.

Supervisor       : Good morning, Ms.Ria. I have heard about your complaint                          from the receptionist . I do really apologize for the                                            inconvenience you have suffered for two nights. Starting                              from tonight I’ll take care of your room to make sure that                            it won’t happen to you again, Ms. Ria.

Guest               : All right, than.

Supervisor       : Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, Ms. Ria. Have a nice day.

Handling Complaint  By Phone

The guest complaint can be extended by face to face and by phone. The steps of handling complain by phone, as follows :

Ø  Greeet the guest warmly, and offer help.

Ø  Listen carefully and emphetic

Ø  Wait until the complainer has finished complaining. Do not intrupt.

Ø  Apologize for the inconvenience.

Ø  Summarize or note the complaint to make sure that you have got the right point

Ø  If you can handle the complaint, tell the guest what could be done.

Ø  Estimate how soon the corrective action will take.

Ø  Thank the guest for the complaint.

Ø  If you can’t handle the complaint by yourself, connect the guest’s line telephone to the supervisoror manager.

Example of dialogue:

            Receptionist    : Good morning. Receptionist here. What can I do for you?

            Ria                   : Yes, this is Ria in room123. When I tried the shower,   no water came out at all. It is an absolutely bad condition.There is also no towel or toilet paper.

            Receptionist    : We are terribly sorry about this, Ms. Ria. We’re short-staff at present. So, the shower doesn’t work and there is no towel and toilet paper.

            Guest               : Yes, that right.

            Receptionist    : Housekeeping should have checked your room. We will                                           attend to it as soon as possible. There is been a misundertanding.

            Guest               : That’s all right. The most important thing is to fix it soon.

            Receptionist    : Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, Ms.                                           Ria. Have a nice day.

            .          

  Do’s in Handling Complaint

Ø  Listen be with concern.

Ø  Isolate the guest if necessary or possible.

Ø  Avoid responding with hostility.

Ø  Be empathetic.

Ø  Recognize and acknowledge the guest’s feeling.

Ø  Be aware of the guest’s self esteem. Try to maintain or even enchance the guest’s self esteem.

Ø  Use the guest’s name frequently.

Ø  Give the guest your undivided attention. Concentrate on the problems, not on personalities.

Ø  Take notes.

Ø  Document the problemby writing down the key facts.

Ø  Tell the guest what you can do.

Ø  Tell the guest how soon corrective action will be taken.

Ø  Mononitor the progress of the corrective action.

Ø  Follow up with both the guest and the action taken.

Ø  Report fully, the entire event, the actions taken, and the conclusion of the incident.

  Don’ts in Handling Complaint

Ø  Do not argue with the guest. The guest is always the guest.

Ø  Do not make light of a complaint. It is a serious matter to thge guest.

Ø  Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.

Ø  Don’t insult the guest.

Ø  Don’t exceed your authority.

Ø  Don’t underestimate the amount of time it will take to solve the problem.

Ø  Don’t leave your guest without saying anything.

In handling complaint there are some tips to help you to resolve the problem and send the guest home with a smile:

Ø  Stay calm and do not argue with the customer.

Ø  Body language is very important.  The best body language to use when dealing with an irate customer is to stand with your hands clasped behind you.

Ø  Voice modulation, pitch and tone are very important. A raised voice sounds upset and combative. A customer will respond the same way in return.

Ø  Eye contact is very important in affirming to the customer that you are listening to them.

Ø  If a customer has problem that could have been prevented, do apologize and an offer  them some sort of compensation.

 Expressions of  Apologizing

·         I’m very sorry. I didn’t realize...

·         I’m sorry madam/sir.

·         I really must apologize.

·         I do apologizes.

·         I’m sorry this has happened to you.

·         I know how you feel.

·         I’m sorry, sir, this beyond my authority.

  Expressions of  Promising or Explaining Action

·         I’ll send someone to ...........

·         I’ll make sure that it won’t happen to you again, sir.

·         Would you allow me to ask my supervisor to handle it, sir?

·         Thank you for bringing this matter to our intention, sir.