Front_Office_Operations

Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.2 Handling guest complaints continued…

●If there has been a failure of service in some way, the receptionist may be authorised by management to offer some specific type and level of recompense: a discount on the room or meal, perhaps, or a voucher for an extra service (which has the virtue of not losing the hotel revenue)

●If the guest has a problem unrelated to the hotel (e.g. has left personal belongings in a taxi or had luggage mislaid by the airline), the front desk may provide a listening ear, empathy, guidance and assistance where possible - without taking on responsibility for the problem

If minor complaints are handled efficiently and with good grace, the guest will often leave feeling both heard and well served - and with no lingering worries or negative feelings about the hotel.

In some circumstances, however, a guest may be angry, aggressive or upset - or the problem may be more serious or complicated, requiring in-depth explanation and investigation: the hotel may have lost a guest's luggage or laundry, say. These situations require more sensitive handling.

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.2 Handling guest complaints continued…

●If possible, the receptionist should seek to handle the matter away from other guests, who may be disrupted or upset by the 'scene' or the complaint. The complaining guest may be invited to draw aside, or to enter a back office or lounge area. If necessary, (s)he may be asked to wait a moment while the duty manager is called to deal with the matter, or the problem is investigated, or while the receptionist finds someone else to cover the front desk while (s)he deals with the issue

●The receptionist, guest relations officer or duty manager must first of all hear the details of the complaint: showing that (s)he is listening attentively; and refraining from interrupting or commenting until the guest is finished. (S)he can then ask supportive questions, to gather details and make sure that (s)he has understood the substance of the complaint, taking notes . Required

●It may also help to summarise briefly the main points of the guest's complaint and how (s)he feels about it ('You weren't able to sleep last night because of the noise in the room next door and I understand that that was very stressful and upsetting for you.') This helps the guest to feel genuinely heard and understood - and may also help to eliminate some of emotion

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.2 Handling guest complaints continued…

●The person handling the complaint should give a short, clear apology for the upset, frustration or Inconvenience experienced by the guest - without being drawn into any explanations, excuses, implied (or direct) criticism of the hotel or blaming of others. The apology is Intended to demonstrate understanding of the guest's situation, not an admission of guilt or responsibility. ('I am sorry you have been inconvenienced.' ... 'I am sorry to have kept you waiting.')

●The next step is to reassure the guest that the complaint will be fairly and constructively handled: explaining what action will be taken (even if, initially, this is just an investigation into the problem) and within what time frame.

●The complaint handler should then Initiate action to investigate or resolve the problem, or to offer recompense - seeking whatever information, assistance or authorisation may be required. If the process takes time, the guest should be kept informed as to what is going on

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.2 Handling guest complaints continued…

●Finally, the complaint handler should inform the guest what has been done or decided. If a receptionist has been handling the matter so far, this final task may be referred to a duty manager or guest relations person - especially if the outcome is not likely to satisfy the guest (e.g. nothing can be done, or the guest has been found to be in the wrong)

●As follow-up, the Front Office person may need to check that the promised action has indeed been taken by other parties (e.g. maintenance has fixed the guest's TV). (S)he should also re-contact the guest, after everything has 'cooled off, to ensure that the guest is satisfied

●The incident should be recorded in an incident log, for later analysis: there may need to be a change of policy for handling the complaint - or for preventing the problem from recurring. In addition, an incoming shift may need to be made aware of the issue

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.3 Interpersonal skills for handling complaints

Well-developed Interpersonal skills are required for handling complaints and other 'awkward' situations. A person handling a complaint needs to be able to:

●Control his or her emotions, in order to remain calm - especially since the guest may not be calm! - and to avoid taking the complaint personally

●Control his or her body language: maintaining a confident and attentive posture; calm gestures; appropriate facial expressions (without annoyance or disbelief); and a firm, steady tone of voice.

●Listen attentively (so that the guest feels genuinely heard) but at the same time critically (so that the problem can be properly analysed).

●Demonstrate empathy: an ability to understand the guest's position. This can be shown by reflecting back or summarising the guests complaint - not merely repeating the words, but summing up the issue and the guests underlying feelings about it.

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.3 Interpersonal skills for handling complaints continued…

●Demonstrate tact and discretion: respecting guest privacy and confidentiality; not exposing the guest to 'loss of face' (e.g. If they are in the wrong).

●Communicate assertively: that is, communicating calmly but firmly, balancing respect for the nights of the other person with respect for one's own rights. Assertiveness isn't the same as aggressiveness. It means avoiding aggressiveness or defensiveness on the one hand - and

'grovelling' or 'victimhood' on the other. If a guest is being abusive, you have a right to request that he moderate his tone and language. If a guest has made an error, or failed to observe

policy of the hotel, you can calmly but firmly state this fact.

●Service orientation. Perhaps the most important attribute in handling a guest complaint constructively is willingness to do so, a professional 'can do' attitude and the awareness that

Front Office is the 'hub' for guest issues. (If a guest has a complaint about the room, the answer is not: 'That’s not my problem: you'll have to talk to maintenance/housekeeping'.)

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.4 Gathering and using guest feedback

●Improve the hotel's marketing and selling, by identifying factors that guests particularly value and enjoy about the hotel

●Improve the hotel's service to guests, by identifying strengths and weaknesses, areas for learning and improvement, and areas for staff training

●Maintain dialogue with guests: making them feel valued and heard, and encouraging them to develop loyalty to the hotel (eg through follow-up messages asking for feedback after their stay)

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.4 Gathering and using guest feedback continued…

The hotel may gather feedback from guests in various ways.

●Guest and occupancy statistics will provide indirect indicators of whether guests are satisfied or not: (e.g. repeat stays, will generally indicate satisfied guests, where one-o stays (and even worse, the withdrawal of repeat business) will generally indicate dissatisfaction)

●Informal comments made by guests at reception, or directly to Front Office staff, are an excellent source of informal feedback. Staff should keep their ears open for such responses, and invite it where possible: 'Are you enjoying your stay with us?', 'Is there anything we can to make your stay more enjoyable?', or 'Have you enjoyed your stay with us - and can we to see you again?' This may also be the particular responsibility of the Guest Relations Officer any.

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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Handling guest problems, feedback and complaints

5.4 Gathering and using guest feedback continued…

●Unsolicited feedback may be provided by guests who have had particularly positive or negative experiences with the hotel: (e.g. writing a letter or e-mail of thanks or complaint after the‘ stay). This is a particularly valuable form of review, because it reflects strong and genuine feelings (with the guest having had time to think about the matter), and because It highlights 'critical incidents' that may not have been picked up by management.

●Online hotel review sites and traveller 'blogs'. Many travellers now record their experiences (positive and negative) of hotels on Internet sites such as tripadvisor.com, or on their own 'blog' (web log, or online diary). Hotels can monitor these (by doing a search on own name).

●Feedback questionnaires may be left in guest rooms, included in departure packs, or forwarded to them after their stay (bye-mail or mail). This is a systematic way of gathering information about how the guest experienced the various elements of the hotel 'package', as well as information for marketing purposes (such as how the guest 'heard about' the hotel). Such surveys make it optional for guests to give their names, comments etc. (This is perhaps why comments in the Visitor's book' of old fashioned guest houses are so often bland

and non-committal...	)
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Chapter 9 – Interpersonal and selling skills

Staff development and management

6.Staff development and management

6.1Induction or orientation of new staff

6.2Staff training and development

6.3Managing Front Office quality

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