Chapter 3

Client, Customer and Business Relationship

Complaints Handling
Usual Complaints
 Mechanical problem
 Attitude
 Service related
 Unusual

Complaints
 Verbally
 Through somebody
 Written

Guidelines for Handling Complaints

1. Listen with concern and empathy
2. Isolate the guest if possible, so that other guests won’t overhear.
3. Stay calm. Avoid responding with hostility or defensiveness.
4. Don’t argue with the guest.
5. Be aware of the guest’s self-esteem. Show a personal interest in the problem. Use the
guest’s name frequently. Take the complaint seriously.
6. Give the guest your undivided attention. Concentrate on the problem, not on placing blame.
Do NOT insult the guest. More important, the fact that a front office staff member is
concerned enough to write down what they’re saying is reassuring to guests.
7. Tell the guest what can be done. Offer choices. Don’t promise the impossible, and don’t
exceed your authority.
8. Set an approximate time for completion of corrective actions. Be specific, but do not
underestimate the amount of time it will take to resolve the problem.
9. Monitor the progress of the corrective action.
10. Follow up. Even if the complaint was resolved by someone else, contact the guest to ensure
that the problem was resolved satisfactorily. Report the entire event, the actions taken, and
the conclusion of the incident.
Maintaining a Positive Relationship
The use of certain techniques will assist you to maintain a positive relationship with the other
party whether the negotiation was successful or not. Techniques include:

- Keeping in regular contact with clients you have lost and have had a successful relationship with

- This may be done with a fact-to-face visit or simply a phone call

- You can also put the client on a mailing list or newsletter providing information about your
business and special promotions

- Following up with clients – where you have successfully negotiated with a client and they have
used your services.

- Ask basic questions and show interest in their replies such as “ how did the function go? “
- This gives the client to give feedback and you to fix any problems if problems had occurred
- It is much easier for an established client to deal with you than it is finding another source
of products and services form a business that do not know their wants or needs

Benefits of Maintaining Business Relationships

The rewards of taking the time and trouble to foster and maintain excellent business relationships
are many and various and can include

- Peer support and a network you can use to create ideas

- An opportunity to learn from others and share experiences
- Increased business opportunities for your enterprise
- Chances to keep more up-to-date and better informed about the industry
- Increased access to relevant information

Communication

Introduction

Teamwork are the collective actions towards a collective goal by number of people.

The goal of the workplace should be for people to work together in a harmonious environment.
The work to be done brings the people together and social interaction is how they complete their
tasks.

Teamwork and Support

In a hospitality or tourism organization, no one person can meet the needs of all customers. It
requires collective efforts of many people to achieve success.
Each team member brings with them their own experiences, knowledge and skills. Everyone has
different strengths and these should be used for the benefit of the customer and business.

Characteristics of Teams
A team should:
 Have a common goal - it is important for all staff not only to identify the goal, but why it is
important.
 Work interdependently with other – the actions of one person impacts other staff.
 Have independent job functions - while staff are working together, they perform different
roles and have different activities. Staff must understand however, how their actions
contribute to the team.
 Enjoy working together - this may be hard with different personalities, however in most
cases people enjoy working together.
 Have accountability - staff will not only have their own responsibilities, but will also have
responsibilities as a team.
 Be empowered - staff have their own power to act and make decisions.
 Understand the importance of teams - understand why they are together and how they
can help each other.
Types of Teams

Each organization will have different teams for different purposes. It is not uncommon for
individual staff members and managers to be a member of more than one team in their
organization.
The different types of teams within a tourism or hospitality organisation can include:

The organization as a whole – each organization, depending on its size, will have an identity as a
whole. All staff within the organization will have a common fous goal.
Individual branches – within some organization, individual branches or properties will exist. Each
branch wil have their own specific focus and requierments to suit the needs of the individual
property.
Individual Work Sections ( Departments ) – Within each individual property a range of
departments will exist, each with their own teams.

Types of Communication
The basic communication options include:
 Verbal - face-to-face communication and talking on the phone.
 Written format - which includes electronic mail and hard copy communications such as
letters, signs, labels, posters, advertising and warnings.
 Non-verbal - facial expressions, gestures, sign language
 Interpreter - sometimes an interpreter may be needed to translate one language to
another whether it is face-to-face or written.
Communication Tips
The following tips will assist in effective communication:
 Follow all establishment policies regarding communication with others
 Use a person’s name where it is known
 Be honest – but be sensitive, caring and respectful
 Use ‘ please ’ and ‘ thank you ‘
 Don’t interrupt the person speaking
 Speak at an appropriate pace and volume – don’t yell, don’t whisper
 Make sure your non-verbal language matches the verbal communication you are sending
such as smiling when you are delivering a positive message and concerned expressions
when receiving a complaint

The Need for Effective Communication

All verbal or written communication needs to be effective in order for our message to be
understood and to deliver services and responses as quickly as possible.
To help achieve effective communication, the following five rules apply:
 Every message must have a purpose
 Messages should match the interests and abilities of the receiver
 Unnecessary words should be eliminated
 Chosen words should be within the experience range of the receiver
 Verbal messages should be clear and concise, use the correct words and their
pronunciation, along with appropriate inflection, tone, language, speed and volume of voice

This means that in some instances, written communication may need to:
 Use graphics or pictures to help clarify meaning
 Be produced in a language other than English
 Be printed in a font that is easy to read
 Be available to ‘ take away ‘ so people can take a copy and read later or in more detail

Communication Skills
Communication involves sending and receiving messages via language or speech ( verbal
communication ) or via body language ( non-verbal communication ).

Many people think that communication is a one-way thing where you send a ‘ message ‘ or receive
a ‘ message ‘. However, for communication to occur there must be ‘ feedback ‘. The receiver must
also send a message that indicates they have understood the message that has been sent.It is
important for the body language to match the verbal message so that there is no mismatch.

Obtaining Feedback
For feedback to be useful in terms of assisting with monitoring and modifying learing activities,
the following needs to be taken into account:
 Getting feedback must be an on-going activity - you cannot successfully use feedback if
you collect it randomly, when you feel like it or if you have the item
 Feedback should be obtained as soon as possible after operational session, activities and
learning events have taken place
 Feedback should be sought from various stakeholders – you cannot simply rely on
feedback given to you
 Information should be obtained via feedback forms and verbally – a mix of both options
is best
 All staff should be required to provide feedback
 Feedback should focus on all relevant team activities