RECEIVING AND HANDLING GUEST CONCERNS

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the session, the students should be able to:

 Understand the process on receiving and handling guest concerns;

 Learn how to resolve problems and listen empathically for improved customer
service; and
 Realize the importance of the topic in the Food and Beverage Industry
 What do you
mean by guests What are the right
concerns? things to do when
I encounter this?

How can I avoid

these complaints?
 In the hospitality industry, it is our duty to attend to the guest need
and satisfy them because; it increases the customer lifetime value, it
maintains their loyalty and repurchase intentions, it maintains the
reputation of the establishments.
 But complains are inevitable in almost every restaurant, even in the
best ones. These often happen because from time to time, the wants
and needs of a guest changes along with the environment the business
is operation.
 WHAT IS GUEST COMPLAINT?

 Is an expression of dissatisfaction on a consumer’s behalf to a responsible party,

accdg to E. Laird Landon Jr.
 COMMON REASONS FOR THE GUEST’S COMPLAINTS:

 Expectations are not met

 Lack of warm greeting
 Lack of politeness/unaccommodating attitude of servers
 Unsatisfying replies to guest’s request
 Foods are not delivered on time
 Unhygienic utensils used
 Noisy surroundings
 Cramped dining area
 These complaints can be either good or bad for the establish. It can either drive customers away or improve
customer’s loyalty.
Generally, 9% TO 37% OF THE UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS ARE RECEIVE BY THE FIRM
WHILE THE REST NEVER BOTHER TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE:
They think the act is a waste of time.
They think no one will give them concern and time to take action to their complaint.
They do not know what to do or where to go.
 IS COMPLAINT ESSENTIAL TO THE INDUSTRY?

Complaints give the organization further reason to develop

their guest experience. Complaints are given freely to the
guest, not solicited by any recipient organization and usually
unexpectedly.
 A WELL-HANDLED COMPLAINT MAY RESULT TO?

1. Increase in the possibility of the guest to come back in the

future,
2. Development in the image of the establishment.
3. Improvement of the employee’s service towards other
customer.
4. Increase in knowledge regarding the guest’s needs.
 A POOR-HANDLED COMPLAINT MAY RESULT TO?

Guest having a bad image of the establishment.

Time and energy consuming.
Lost of customer.
 Most people believe in the saying “the customer is always right”
nonetheless, the truth is they are not. But still, a guest is still a guest, and
this simply means that solving the problems is far more important
than knowing who is right, solving the problem without blaming
yourself or other may be a way to attain the guest satisfaction.
 TYPES OF GUEST COMPLAINTS

1. ATTITUDINAL COMPLAIN- occurs when guest feel unwelcomed, unimportant

by the attitude of hotel staff
EXAMPLE.
“The waiter was rude”
“Front office agent was not welcoming”
Operator was unfriendly”
TYPES OF GUEST COMPLAINTS

2. SERVICE RELATED COMPLAINTS- these complaints target the service of the

hotels/restaurant.
EXAMPLE:
“Food is blunt”
“Server missed my order of side French fries”
“Operator is not answering my call”
TYPES OF GUEST COMPLAINTS

3. MECHANICAL COMPLAINTS- these complaint deals with equipment

malfunction.
EXAMPLE:
“My ac is not working”
“There is no hot water in bathtub”
“ No signal in TV”
TYPES OF GUEST COMPLAINTS

4. PRODUCT RELATED COMPLAINTS- these are associated with tangible

aspect of hotel
 EXAMPLE.
“This furniture looks worn out”
“There aren’t enough umbrellas at the beach”
“The portion of your food is too small”
IN MAKING COMPLAINTS, SOME GUEST PORTRAY THE FF CHARACTERISTICS:

 Lack of courteousness when communicating

 Harshness
 Unreasonableness
 Rudeness
 Lack of understanding towards the establishments limitation
 Emotional
HOW TO HANDLE GUEST COMPLAINTS?

1. APPROACH THE GUEST

The correct approach to the guests is the key to success. If possible address them by
their respective name and ask them politely if there is a problem.

2. LISTEN TO THE COMPLAINT

Always listen calmly to the guest. They have complained for a reason and it is important
to empathized why they are complaining. Show a personal interest in the problem and
never argue with guest as it only aggravates the situation. Paraphrase their complaint in
your own words to determine whether you have correctly understood the situation,
 HOW TO HANDLE GUEST COMPLAINTS?

3. APOLOGIZE TO THE GUEST- Never be afraid to apologize for the mistake. Many guests are simply
looking for an apology and acknowledgement of their complaint, yet many companies are uncertain to
admit they made a mistake. After apologizing, tell the guest what can be the best solution and offer
choices. Don’t promise the impossible and remember the limitations of your authority.

4. TAKE PROPER ACTION ON THE COMPLAINT- set an approximate time for the action you’re about to
do. Then, monitor the progress of the action done to resolve the guest complaint. After that, follow up. Even
if the complaint was fixed by another staff, inform the guest to ensure that the problem was resolved
satisfactory.

5. RECORD THE COMPLAINT- have one place to record complaints and the actions taken to resolve them.
Detail the complaint so that you and the other staff know exactly what the problem is because in the future, this
will let you see if the problem will emerge again. This will also let the other staff see what was done to resolve
complaints in the past.
 REACH FOR THE S.T.A.R.S.

 SORRY. Apologize and avoid finger pointing

 THANK YOU. Thank the guests for taking the time to point out the problem. Only few of the guest
does. You can’t fix the situation until you know about the person. Recommend to the manager “table
touches” to root out problems.
 ACT. Quickly resolve the issue. If the food wasn’t to a customer’s liking, re-cook it or prepare
something else, if they prefer.
 RECOVER. Offer something extra to mend your relationship, such as a free dessert or a discount on
the next visit. Some requires employees to notify managers of any issues so they can ensure the guest
leaves satisfied. It makes the guest feel that everybody at the restaurant cares about them.
 SHARE. Inform your team about guest complaints, so they can learn from them. Example. If you
receive complaints about undercooked steaks, remind your cooks about your temperature guidelines.
B.L.A.S.T. AWAY COMPLAINTS

1. BELIEVE. Don’t let pride cloud your thoughts or confuse your goals. Believe the guest and the guest ‘s
perception.

2. LISTEN. Allow the guest to tell you everything. Ask questions and make eye contact.

3. APOLOGIZE. Be genuine and sincere in apologizing to the guests for the less-than-perfect experience.
Remember that the guest’s perception is their reality.

4. SOLVE. Be calm, take charge and own the problem. Fix the problem area, but avoid trying to “buy” the guest’s
happiness. Make sure the way you resolved the issue leaves the guest happy and with the intent to return soon.

5. THANK. Sincerely thank the guest for bring the issue to your attention and giving you an opportunity to resolve it .
 SOME EXAMPLES WHY HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY WORKERS
MUST HAVE EMPATHY

 Listening empathetically makes people feel as if their needs are being attended and they are
really being listened to.
 Listening with empathy gives a guests a positive experience of the hotel/ restaurant and of you as a worker.
Guests will always remember the worker who truly paid attention and cared about their concern, against
the worker who offers a quick solution.
 When you acknowledge how the guests feel, you are letting them know that they are understood.
 Empathy improves communication and strengthens relationships.
 Empathy helps to establish trust.
 Empathy and trust are essential to developing solutions, winning and maintaining business and avoiding or
resolving conflicts.
STRATEGIES FOR SERVICE STRATEGY

1. Apologizing
2. Solving the problem
3. Compensating the customer with something
 SO, HOW DO YOU MAKE AMENDS OR APPEASE TO THE
CUSTOMER? THROUGH:

Product replacements
Good will gifts
Free of charge services, etc.
HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS

1. Approach them professionally and not personally.

Taking things personally may damage your professional reputation.
2. Check your customer service attitude.
Attitude is the key to success. Treat the guest politely as you can.
3. Your attitude towards customers influences your behavior.
4. Your attitude determines the level of job satisfaction.
5. Your attitude affects everyone who comes in contact with you.
6. Tone and body language reflect your attitude.
USEFUL TIPS FOR DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS

1. Try to remain calm when dealing with a complaint.

2. Complaints should always be resolved as quickly as possible.
3. Keep comprehensive records of all customer complaints.
4. All customer-facing staff members should be trained to deal with complaints.
TAKE NOTE!!!!

 Customer feedbacks are essential to all establishments; not only because

you can gather valuable customer insight, but because it allows you to
identify product and service failures.
 Complain handling is an invaluable opportunity for the organization to
identify areas of improvement. Allowing such expressions of
dissatisfaction to be met with positive responses and doing improvement
are crucial to any successful business.
 Thank you and Claiming
for a blessed 2024 to all of
us!!