The
best way to handle complaints is to prevent the circumstances
that lead to them in the first place. The businesses with the
fewest complaints tend to be the businesses that deliver whatever
was promised in the advertising, that make sure any representations
made are accurate, that meet or exceed all governmental or trade
association minimum standards, that appropriately price all services
and products, that eliminate surprises, that make sure all their
establishment's policies (and idiosyncrasies, if any) are reasonably
well known in advance by their clientele, that make sure all policies
are actually followed by employees and agents, that carefully
train staff, that insist their staff keep up to date on changes,
and, most importantly of all, have everyone associated with them
looking their best and acting friendly and hospitable.
It can safely be said as a general rule that clients and customers
who get what they pay for tend not to complain.
Notwithstanding best efforts, though, very few businesses can
please absolutely everyone absolutely all the time. Expectations
held by customers and clients can be unreasonable at times. Even
if not unreasonable, they can still be disappointed for some reason
even in the best of circumstances.
In fact, some people occasionally cannot be pleased at all. Illness,
hormones, stress and many other things cause anger, reasonable
or not, justifiable or not.
We also are all human. Accidents happen. Mistakes occur. Instructions
are lost or garbled. Language is imprecise. Misunderstandings
proliferate. Nature is fickle.
So what do you do when someone is mad and unhappy? You could do
nothing. At the very least, that will cost you any return visits
that the angry clientele might have otherwise made. It also will
probably cost you the ten or more friends he or she would have
otherwise recommended use your services or products.
Worse, it might cost you a nasty letter to a local newspaper editor
or maybe even a nasty article, if you are truly unlucky or offend
a writer or editor. Worse yet, you could end up wasting time in
court or before some other tribunal paying an expensive attorney,
and, if you lose, paying damages on top of that or even potentially
jeopardizing your license. There are better, less expensive ways
to handle the situation.
What are they?
Be Present
For starters, try to have someone always present during all business
hours to allow complaints to be registered. Having a human being
around on which an irate customer can vent anger serves as a "safety
valve" to help diffuse the situation all by itself, just
like the safety valve on a boiler releases pressure that would
otherwise build up and explode.
Whoever that might be, however, needs to be trained in handling
complaints or, at a minimum, intelligent enough to apply the following
common sense "rules."
Be Alert
You (or the persons charged with the responsibility of handling
complaints) should watch for little nuances in posture, expressions,
tone of voice, curtness of reply and other body language that
suggests something is wrong. Don't be afraid to inquire. Ask if
everything was okay.
Hearing a complaint is far better than allowing it to fester in
silence. Besides, if you don't hear it, how can you cure it or
prevent similar ones that might affect other clients?
Be Patient
This should be self-explanatory. Let the individual complaining
get it all out.
Be Calm
Normally, there is no need to panic. Even if there is a need to
panic, a calm demeanor can assist in preventing a worse crisis.
Calmness also blunts anger. Most people feel foolish maintaining
a tirade if the person to whom it is directed only responds gently,
in a low volume and a calm manner.
Be Courteous
Be unfailingly polite at all times, even if the person complaining
is dead wrong and personally insults you. This is a must. It is
naturally painful, but responding in kind will only exacerbate
the hostility.
Be Prompt
Take action immediately. Perhaps, if appropriate, even diffidently
interrupt the complaint briefly to call some staffer to rush to
the problem area and deal with it right away if it is still an
ongoing problem that might endanger others. Then, ask the person
complaining to continue with what he or she was saying.
Showing you not only care, but plan to do something about the
problem without delay will also usually help deflect the anger.
If the owner or general manager is not always around, staff should
be given authority to make amends as necessary on the spot up
to and including giving away what might be called, "Gee,
I'm sorry" gifts or token amounts of money. Waiting for the
return of the "boss" may prove to be too late. It is
easier to put out fires when they are still small.
Be Attentive
Except for the foregoing interruption, pay very close attention
to what the person complaining is saying. Keep eye contact. If
necessary, ask another staffer to handle phones, front desk, etc.,
while you give undivided concentration to what the individual
relates. Perhaps take notes.
It would help if you could get the person complaining to step
aside into a quiet alcove or perhaps your office. Besides, that
removes the controversy from the notice of other people.
Be Helpful
Try to think of something you can do of a positive nature to show
you are or will be working on the problem. People like to see
action taken .
Ask questions. See if the persons registering the complaint have
suggestions.
Don't be patronizing though. Whatever you do, don't say, "Don't
worry about it."
Be Apologetic
If you know you are wrong, admit it. Be open. Apologize profusely
for the business, your staff, yourself. Sometimes an apology is
enough.
Still, consider offering what you can to make up for the error.
A gift basket, a box of soap, a bottle of champagne, a pot of
flowers, or something similar cannot hurt, particularly if accompanied
by a handwritten apology.
Studies show that even after making a mistake with a customer,
you can still convert most of them back into friends by dealing
with the complaint in a manner satisfactory to that customer.
Don't pass the blame onto others. The customer is not interested
in hearing, "It wasn't my job."
Investigate
A word of caution about the "be apologetic" advice above.
Admissions can be used against you in court. If the complaint
is a serious one, with someone being hurt, be slightly more circumspect
than on minor matters. Hedge your words by saying you will investigate
immediately. Then do so. Look at the place where the complaint
circumstances were alleged to occur. Make a record. Perhaps even
take pictures.
Perhaps report your findings to the individuals who made the complaint.
Once again though, if it is a serious matter like a slip or a
bumped head, consider what an admission against interest may do
to your position in court. If in doubt, consult legal counsel.
That last paragraph may sound contradictory to earlier advice
given. You're right. On the one hand, openness at the very start
may mollify the complaining party sufficiently that he or she
proceeds no further than the initial complaint. On the other hand,
those same words uttered in the spirit of openness may haunt you
later in court if it comes to that. The best suggestion for reconciling
the contradictions is that you should be less hasty in assuming
the blame when life, limb or property damages are involved, but
quick to assume blame if only egos and feelings are involved.
Another way to handle it is to "apologize" without admitting
anything. Say you are sorry they are distraught. Don't say you
are sorry they hurt themselves on the sidewalk ice you neglected
to remove. The former is not an admission you were wrong, but
properly given can still help the situation.
Be Understanding
Sometimes it truly is not your fault. When it happens, don't be
defensive in tone. Apologize anyway. If you just cannot bring
yourself to do that when you are "right," at least offer
to show the customer you contract agreement, standard forms, sign,
information letter, policy manual or whatever else demonstrates
that the person misunderstood or was wrong. This is another good
reason why you should always do things in writing.
Having proved the customer is wrong, though, be totally understanding.
Soft pedal any "triumph" over them. Be generous. Besides,
as you have heard all your life, "The customer is always
right." What good does it do to prove your point only to
humiliate the customer? They might be just as angry about how
they were mistreated while giving their complaint as they were
about the complaint itself, even if they were wrong.
Follow Up
After the injured party departs, don't let the matter drop. If
some deficiency has been correctly revealed by them, cure it.
Change policies and procedures to prevent it from recurring. Alert
the staff to the changes. If anything was promised to that person,
quickly deliver on your promises. And, finally, it wouldn't hurt
to send a personal letter to the person telling of the action
taken.
The above suggestions discuss handling complaints delivered, but
almost everything suggested is equally applicable to written ones
as well.
Conclusion
With the application of these techniques, the unavoidable or unforeseeable
complaints that might otherwise be quite damaging to reputation
and cash flow can be minimized. It's not that the establishments
with the great reputations and high sales make no mistakes, it's
how they handle them.
You too can be one of the great ones. n
___________________________________________
Charles Hillestad is a specialist in real estate and business
law. He has theoretical experience by representing numerous hospitality
clients, and has practical experience, having developed three
different hospitality businesses of his own. He may be reached
at 503/436-1314.
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