HANDLING CUSTOMER

COMPLAINTS

CONTENT

What is a Complaint?
Identifying A Complaint As A Gift
Steps For Handling Customer Complaints
Service Recovery Process
Handling Difficult Customers

SESSION 1

What is a Complaint?

What is a Complaint?

An expression of dissatisfaction
made to an organization, related to
its products or services, or the
complaints-handling process itself,
where a response or resolution is
explicitly or implicitly expected

Why do customers
complain?
Their expectations have not been met!
To release their anger
To help improve the service
Because of concern for others who also use
the service

Most common complaints...

Wrong information
Poor customer service attitude
Overpricing
Lack of adequate information
Delays
Unresponsiveness of service
providers
.

The customer is not always right

but...
The customer is always the customer and this
means simply that solving the problem is often
more important than who is right.
If you can solve their problem without blaming
yourself or others,
you will reduce stress,
everyone will feel better and
you will be on your way to attaining CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION

SESSION 2

Identifying a Complaint as
a Gift

Is a complaint a gift? Why?

Complaints are gift packages waiting to

be opened because they:
Are given freely
Are unexpectedthey come as a surprise
(usually)
Hold the key to happiness for the recipient
organization
If they are well handled

Is a complaint a gift? Why?

A complaint gives you:

Free direct communication from the customer

about service failures, competitors offerings
etc. without the added cost of conducting a
survey
Readily available market research: they define
what customers want

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Is a complaint a gift? Why?

A complaint gives you the

opportunity to:

Increase customer trust

Build long term relationships

customers will use your services again if they

believe complaints are welcomed and
addressed

Rectify service failures

Engage customers as advocates

Is a complaint a gift? Why?

If a customer is complaining, you are being
given a chance to retain that customer

12

SESSION 3

Steps for Handling

Customer Complaints

How to Handle Customer Complaints

How do you react to customer complaints about

the way you do your work?

Especially when you think you are doing your best???

People react to customer complaints in different

ways

Some

Ignore complaints
Become defensive
Become angry or annoyed
Are concerned about the loss of trade or the damage to
their professional reputation
14

How to Handle Customer

Complaints

In making complaints, some customers portray the following

characteristics

Lack of gracious social skills to communicate properly

Nervousness
Harshness
Very Emotional
Lack understanding of you or your organizations limitations
Rudeness
Unreasonableness

We need to learn to expect such behaviour and remember

however that a complaint is evidence that, in the
customers view, we have not met their expectations.
15

How to Handle Customer

Complaints

Listen
Repeat
Apologise
Acknowledge
Explain action
Thank
Follow up

Remember not to
take it personally
Remain calm
Focus on the problem
and not person
Turn unhappy people
into happy customers

W TO HANDLE GUEST COMPLAINT

While handling Guest Complaint in Hotel or Restaurant
must remember these basic points:
1. Listen to guests complaint carefully, express your
enthusiasm to help. Key eye contact.
2. Understand the matter. Never argue or interrupt when
guest is still explaining. Wait until he/she has finished.
3. Analyze the matter wisely.
4. Apologize to guest with good reason, then handle the
request in priority if able, even if the complaint is not
concerning your section.

5. Take action until matter is completed.

6. Pass over the information to the HOD / GM / EAM
immediately, if it is out of your capabilities.
7. Try to make guest feel very comfortable while
waiting and allow time for the guest to cool down.
8. When you see the guest at a later time, greet him
and ask if everything is fine.
9. Log in follow up book for your colleagues to be
aware of the situation.

HOW
TO
GUEST:

HANDLE

INTOXICATED

1. Whisper, talk personally to persuade him out of

the party. Do not talk facing the people.
2. Inform him that he is disturbing the party. Offer
him your service.
3. If he does not agree, inform the host (as in the
Hotel, inform the Duty Manager).

HOW TO
VISITOR

HANDLE

GUEST

1. Screen the visitor in a polite manner. If there is

advance information all ready from the guest, escort
the visitor to the guest room. If not, request the
visitor to go with you to the Front Desk and establish
the reason for the visit.
2. Offer your help and ask the visitors name.
3. Inform the guest by phone, and announce the name
of the visitor.
4. If the guest agrees to see his visitor, escort the visitor
to the guest room.
5. When they both meet, offer some services, such as
coffee or tea service.

HOW TO
NIGHT

HANDLE

VISITOR

AT

If the guest comes home with a joiner.

1. Greet the guest and his joiner like normal guests.
2. Offer your service to them.
3. Inform the Chief of Security and Duty Manager about
the guests joiner.
4. Note in the follow up book for next shift for
information.
5. Treat the joiner as your guest also.

HOW TO HANDLE A NOISY

GUESTROOM

1. Go to the noisy room and politely ask the guest to tone

down the noise level.
2. If the guest does not agree, inform the Duty Manager
to handle the matter.

UEST ON DIET/ALLERGY
1. Offer food item out of what the guest diet allergy is.
2. Give the guest the menu card to choose from.
3. Suggest to the guest to have:
Fish from the river, if he cannot eat seafood.
Beef meat, if the guest cannot eat pork.
Vegetables, if the guest cannot eat meat.
Unsalted meat, if the guest cannot eat salty food.
Low calorie and less fat content/no sugar, if the
guest is on a diet.

TYPES OF
COMPLAINER GUESTS
IN HOTEL

Intellectual Type:
Such guests are generally are older in age.
Generally they complaint in depressed mood with
calm tone. Intellectual guests try hard to be rational
and beat you with their logical arguments.
Their expression remains cool all the time and they
have good personality.
Such guests are quite easy to
handle but sometimes you
may found quite irritating too.

r to deal with this group of people you should rememb

Listen their logic properly.
Know the facts properly.
Dont rush to agree to apology first.
Be logical all the time.
Dont promise anything you are not sure. They will
remember every single detail.
Dont afraid on their cool calm voice and influencing
personality.

Offensive Type:
Sometimes a single offensive guest is well enough to
hamper your business.
They dont care anything.
Express their emotions loudly with wicked
language, behave rudely and try to gather
public attraction.

Be prepared to take hard actions to handle such guests.

Dont react aggressively.
Be friendly and try to handle with calm approach.
(There is no point to play with fire rather put water on
fire to stop it. Your calm approach is like putting water
on fire.)
Isolate the guest. Offer him to talk in a corner.
Suggest them to set down. Human psychology is such
that when we sit we become less aggressive.
Keep eye contact.
Dont interrupt. Let them show their emotions first.

Try to find the right moment to response.

Take notes of their complaint. (It will give you 2
advantages as the person will become careful about his
complaint and language and as writing needs more
time then speaking so there is a possibility that he
would calm down as the time progresses.)
If you cant handle then refer to the superior one.

Distressed Type:
Often you may find some guests who look not feeling
comfortable.
Sometime they show anger, sometime remain silent,
sometime harshly question.
Their total presence, body movement, gesture,
posture, language will make you feel they are not
happy with
The atmosphere.

n this case follow these steps:

Before they complaint at you, approach to them and
ask them Is everything all right Mr. / Mrs.
.. Or sir / Madam.
Try to find out why they are distressed. Sometimes
for personal problem people show agony with third
person.
If they are not satisfied with your service and
facilities then follow previously discuss tips to make
them satisfied.
To change their mood you can offer them freebies
like free drink or free deserts etc..

Whoever your guests are, try to meet your standard.

As an hotelier all the time be prepare to serve any kind
of guests.

Never forget the old

saying

Guest is always
right

SESSION 5

Handling Difficult
Customers

Handling Difficult Customers

Who is a difficult customer?
How do you handle such people?

Types of Difficult Customers

Angry
Nasty
Demanding
Critical
Non-stop Talker
Indecisive

Argumentative

Why Are They Difficult?

They are often
expressing a need
but chose an
appropriate and
impolite way to
communicate this
need

They are difficult for

their own reasons
not because of you

Common Reasons For Being

Difficult
tired or frustrated
confused or
overwhelmed
defending their ego
unfamiliar with
situation
feel ignored
under influence of drink
or drugs

dont understand
in bad mood
in a hurry
other reasons..

How Do I Deal With Difficult

Customers?
this job would be very good if it werent for the
difficult people I have to deal with everyday
Approach them professionally and not
personally
Taking things personally can damage your
professional reputation
Listen for the signals that you are taking things
personally

How Do I Deal With Difficult

Customers?
Five points about
attitude:
your attitude towards
customers influences
your behaviour. You
cannot always
camouflage how you
feel
your attitude
determines the level
of job satisfaction

your attitude affects

everyone who
comes in contact
with you
tone and body
language reflect your
attitude
your attitude is not
fixed. The attitude
you choose to display
is up to YOU

How Do I Deal With Difficult

Customers?
Remind yourself!
This is my job and
Im going to do it
professionally
If it were not for
these customers I
would not have a job
Every time I solve a
problem I will feel
better

Reinforce this by
saying
I like the job, not
because its easy,
not because there
are no difficult
people, not because
there are no
frustrations but
because people are
part of any job and I
can make things

Summary

Be positive
Take things professionally and not personally
Aim for customer satisfaction, not just service
Solve problems without blaming yourself or
others
Remember attitudes are caught, not taught