What is a Complaint? Guest Complaint Cycle Do's & Dont's While Handling a Complaint Reason for Guest Complaints Normal Reaction to Complaints Types of Guest Complaints Benefits of Complaints Types of Complaint Guests Importance of Customer Service Benefits of Customer Recovery

1. HANDLING GUEST
COMPLAINTS
By Arpendra Chauhan

2. What is a complaint?
“An expression of dissatisfaction made to an
organization, related to its products or
services, or the complaint handling process
itself, where a response or resolution is
explicitly or implicitly expected”

3. GUEST COMPLAINT CYCLE
01
LISTEN
02
EMPATHISE
03
APOLOGISE
04
TAKE
ACTION
05
FOLLOW UP

4. About this templateDO’S & DON’T WHILE HANDLING A COMPLAINT
DO’S
Be honest
Be specific
Listen carefully
Always empathize with the guest
Stay calm
Promise & over deliver
Show personal interest in the problem
Take notes
Set time to resolve the problem
Monitor the progress
Follow up
Offer choices
DON’T
Don’t overpromise & under deliver
Don’t make false promises
Don’t argue with the guest
Don’t try to prove a point
Don’t play the blame game
Don’t insult the guest
Don’t exceed your authority
Don’t let the other guest overhear
What are the guidelines for handling guest complaints?

5. Let’s review some concepts
TIP #1
Even if your staff isn’t rude, do
apologize and try to rectify the
situation in a good manner.
TIP #2
Keeping your guest informed
about the current activities,
especially when it is linked to
them; will surely leave a good
impact on the guest.
TIP #3
When the guest isn’t satisfied with
food order, ask your head chef to
take the replacement order on
priority, not keeping your guest
waiting for the food.
TIP #4
In case of foul smell, check on
small things. For example,
whether the room-fresheners are
filled, dustbins are cleaned &
many such little things.
TIP #5
Staff behaviour complaints- Listen
to the guest with utmost patience
and ask for an apology on behalf
of your hotel staff.
TIP #6
Keep a note of things your
competitors offer as
complimentary to their guests &
make sure you provide them for
FREE too.
FEW TIPS TO HANDLE GUEST COMPLAINTS

6. “Guest complaints are gifts from guests. Uphappy
guests often do not complain but never come
back to the hotel and take other 250 approx guest
with them.
If you get a complain, about 25 other guests had
the same problem but say nothing. An unhappy
guest will tell approx 10 people about the
problem.

7. WHY DO GUEST COMPLAINT ?
Reason for guest complaints
◉Frustration
◉Recognition
◉Compensation
◉Genuine

8. NORMAL REACTION TO COMPLAINTS
◉ Ignore complaints
◉ Defensiveness
◉ Anger
◉ Annoyance, time consuming, rectification costs
◉ Hindrance- wish they could just go away!
◉ Not believe some or all of what the customer was saying
These reactions are as a result of “negative attribution”- blame is being
attributed to us or our business.
A complaint is an evidence that, in the customer’s view, we have not
met their expectations.

9. CUSTOMER’S MANNER
When customers are complaining they:
Lack gracious social skills to communicate
Nervous
Harsh, one sided
Emotional
Lack understanding of commercial/ regulatory limitations
Rude

10. TYPES OF GUEST COMPLAINTS

11. MECHANICAL
Complaints related to
equipment malfunction.
AC, lightening, electricity, room
furnishing, vending machine, ice
machine, door key, plumbing,
TV etc.
FO logbook & maintenance
work orders to be used to
reduce complaints.
You can also split your content
BEHAVIOURAL
Impolite, unprofessional and
indifferent behaviour of staff.
Conflict starts when employee
disagrees with the guest.
Guest may feel insulted & less
important
Managers should listen & attend
to the complaints & problems
which helps maintain good
relation with the guest.
Types of Guest Complaints

12. SERVICE RELATED
Long waiting time for service,
lack of assistance of luggage,
dirty room, missed wake-up
call, cold or ill prepared food or
ignored request for additional
services.
These are more when hotel is
operating at or near full
occupancy.
You can also split your content
UNUSUAL
No control over situation or
impossible to deliver.
Absence of swimming pool, lack
of public transport, bad weather
etc.
Staff should be trained &
prepared to handle these
situations efficiently without
spoiling the guest experience.
Types of Guest Complaints

13. BENEFITS OF COMPLAINTS
◉ Direct feedback from the customer- no survey cost.
◉ Readily available market research- what customers want!
◉ Opportunity to increase customer trust
◉ Opportunity to build long term relationships
◉ Guests will come again if they feel complaints are welcomed
◉ Opportunity to rectify service failure
◉ Opportunity of engaging customers
◉ Also helps improve people management skills
◉ Helps in developing situation handling skills
◉ Staff learns to handle different situations/ guests in different ways

14. AGGRESSIVE GUEST
◉Complaints readily
◉Often loud & detailed
◉Dont be aggresive in return
◉Guest wont respond well to
excuses or reasons why the
service was not satisfactory
◉Follow company policy
◉Offer solutions
You can also split your content
HIGH-PAYING GUEST
◉Expects the absolute best
◉Willing to pay as much
◉Complains in a reasonable
manner
◉Listen respectfully & patiently
◉Ask questions for more details,
if required
◉Follow company policy
Types of Complaint Guests

15. RIP-OFF GUEST
◉Main motive is to get discount &
complimentary things
◉Not really interested in getting
the problems resolved
◉Staff should remain objective
◉Use accurate data to back up the
response
◉Adjustment should be within the
range
◉Follow company policy
You can also split your content
CHRONIC COMPLAINER
◉Never satisfied
◉Feels there is always something
wrong
◉Extreme patience is required
◉Listen carefully & never get
angry
◉Sympathize, apologize &
promise to resolve the problem
◉Follow company policy
Types of Complaint Guests

16. THE QUIET GUEST
◉Does not complain generally
◉Most dangerous to business
◉Complain to others
◉Spoil brand name in market
◉Staff should be very smart to handle complaints
◉Should be able to turn around the feedback/
experience
◉Act appropriately to correct those problems
You can also split your contentTypes of Complaint Guests

17. IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
•Guests may have been to other hotels
•Maybe its their first visit & have high expectations
•Gives positive impression on present & future customers
•Allows repeat business
•Customers feel they are the number one priority
•Always be:
Calm and helpful
Understanding
Tactful & discreet
Empathetic

18. ◉ Only 4% dissatisfied guests
complain. 96% leave without any
communication.
◉Out of 96%, 91% will never return.
◉Unsatisfied guest will tell at least
8-10 people in his contact.
◉1 in 5 dissatisfied will tell 20
people about the issue.
You can also split your content
◉7 out of 10 will come again if
problem is resolved.
◉On an average, a satisfied
customer will tell at least 5
people about the problem & how
it was resolved.
◉Costs 6 times more to attract
new customers than to retain the
current ones.
Benefits of Customer Recovery
It takes 12 positive service incidents to make up for one negative.

19. THANK YOU!