Customer complaint handling is a tricky skill to develop. As we’ve seen from the above examples, it is reactive and you are often on the back foot, trying to resolve a bad situation and an unhappy customer as best you can. However, it is important not to be afraid of complaints as you can learn a lot from the feedback.

1. Listen

In any confrontational situation, if you show you are actively listening to the customer it will calm them down. Feeling that their viewpoint is important to you will help soothe ruffled feathers

2. Stay calm and be polite

If you feel yourself getting irritated, take some deep breaths. When a customer is unhappy, its likely emotions are already high, but you need to stay calm so things do not escalate. Understandably, it can be very hard to stay cool and collected when someone is complaining, but staying polite will keep you calm. It is also important to remember other diners are likely listening to the interaction. By being polite, you can be confident you haven’t shown yourself, or your business in a bad light.

3. Use your body language

Body language is a useful tool to employ. Is your guest sat down? Crouch next to them. Stood up? Stand up tall and confident. Arms folded? Make sure you are seen to be open and approachable.

4. Don’t play the blame game

When faced with a complaint it can be easy to look to blame someone. Most customer complaints come from a place of wanting things to be right. Making the customer happy should be your first priority. You can investigate what went wrong, and how to fix it, afterwards.

5. Take ownership

When things do go wrong, and complaints occur, don’t be afraid to admit your errors. Showing humility and a willingness to learn and improve can have a very positive influence on complaining customers.

6. Do everything you can to fulfil their expectations

Whether the complaint is about the food, the ambience, the table, a staff member or something else, always do your best to fulfil, or even exceed their expectation. They may have come especially for a certain dish; can you request it from the kitchen for them? Do they want to sit somewhere in particular? Try and be as accommodating as possible- your efforts will be noted!

7. Ask them what they would like you to do

When complaints are tough and it’s hard to appease the customer, you can try a different tactic. Ask the customer what they would like you to do to resolve the situation. Be careful with this one as it can backfire, but asking their opinion puts the onus on them to get the problem resolved. When you know what they want, you can work towards making it happen.

8. Train your staff

Not all staff are comfortable handling complaints, but you can help with this by training them. Discuss your guidelines for dealing with complaints and make sure all staff know they can go to a superior if they need to. Often food runners will spot a ‘look’ or a comment from a customer before a complaint is even made. By communicating this to the section waiter or duty manager, it provides an opportunity to head over and check everything is good before the customer even thinks about complaining.

9. Learn from mistakes

One of the most positive responses to a complaint is using this feedback to better the experience for all customers. Is the sauce too salty, are the salt and pepper pots hard to use, is the window seat draughty? For every one person who complains, there could be a hundred who didn’t say anything. Always strive to make your business the best it can be.

10. Always respond

Nowadays, people may not be comfortable complaining at the time but will go write in or leave a negative review. By making sure you respond to each negative comment, it demonstrates your commitment to your customers, and to the betterment of your business.

Source: https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/customer-complaints-in-hospitality/ retrieved on February 2, 2021