Essay on how to turn the complaining guest into a happy guest
“How to make sure that the annoying, complaining guest leaves satisfied and happy”
Complaining guests: not really the most exciting part about working in the hospitality industry. But handling those complaints is one of the most important aspects of your job. If you ever made a complaint yourself, you know the big influence the handling of that complaint has on your decision whether to visit that restaurant or bar again, or not. And the chance you will tell your friends about the great service they offer is very high. That is why it is of such great importance to make sure your guests leave satisfied. No better guest than a satisfied guest, right? (Barlow, 2008)
Nowadays, customer loyalty is one of the most hardest task to achieve. “Because of the large amount of competitors, customers of any industry can easily turn around and go with another brand if the actual one is not giving them what they expected.” (Corporate Recruiters, 2014) That is why it is so important to ensure that the complaining guest eventually leaves satisfied and happy. One of the ways this can be achieved, is by using the “L.E.A.R.N.T.-method”.
This method entails six steps that you as an employee should keep in mind when handling a complaint. First step in this method is to Listen to the complaint of the guest. Do not interrupt, but let him or her finish his story. Second step is to Empathize with the guest; place yourself in their shoes. Tell them you understand how they feel. Then, Apologize to the customer. I know from my own experience, this can be hard in some cases. For example, when you feel you have not taken part in causing the problem. But, as all hospitality employees might have heard before: “The guest is king!”. So, give your apologies to the guest and tell him this will not happen again. Then continue by Reacting to the complaint. Reassure the guest you will solve the problem and how you will do this. One of the last steps of this method is to take immediate action. Do not
Complaining guests: not really the most exciting part about working in the hospitality industry. But handling those complaints is one of the most important aspects of your job. If you ever made a complaint yourself, you know the big influence the handling of that complaint has on your decision whether to visit that restaurant or bar again, or not. And the chance you will tell your friends about the great service they offer is very high. That is why it is of such great importance to make sure your guests leave satisfied. No better guest than a satisfied guest, right? (Barlow, 2008)
Nowadays, customer loyalty is one of the most hardest task to achieve. “Because of the large amount of competitors, customers of any industry can easily turn around and go with another brand if the actual one is not giving them what they expected.” (Corporate Recruiters, 2014) That is why it is so important to ensure that the complaining guest eventually leaves satisfied and happy. One of the ways this can be achieved, is by using the “L.E.A.R.N.T.-method”.
This method entails six steps that you as an employee should keep in mind when handling a complaint. First step in this method is to Listen to the complaint of the guest. Do not interrupt, but let him or her finish his story. Second step is to Empathize with the guest; place yourself in their shoes. Tell them you understand how they feel. Then, Apologize to the customer. I know from my own experience, this can be hard in some cases. For example, when you feel you have not taken part in causing the problem. But, as all hospitality employees might have heard before: “The guest is king!”. So, give your apologies to the guest and tell him this will not happen again. Then continue by Reacting to the complaint. Reassure the guest you will solve the problem and how you will do this. One of the last steps of this method is to take immediate action. Do not