Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 1 of 17

My Personal Learning Journal

Section of session

Key learning points

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 2 of 17

My Personal Action Planning

Action

Priority

Due Date

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 3 of 17

Why are complaints good for business?

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Notes:

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 4 of 17

Making a Bad Situation Even Worse

Work with your group to come up with as many ideas as you can think of to make the
person complaining even more dissatisfied.

How many of these donts have you personally been guilty of in the past?
Notes:

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 5 of 17

Case Study Two Sirloin Steaks, Please...

The Brief
I ordered two portions of steak from Room Service a few hours ago. The staff taking the
order said that these items would be delivered to my room within one hour. The steak
were eventually delivered after two and a half hours.
Not only was there a delay with the delivery but you also delivered the wrong orders.
I telephoned the Room Service to explain the situation and was promised that the correct
orders would be delivered within the next hour. This did not happen so I called again and
was told that the steak was sold out.
I am very disappointed with your service so far. Is there anybody in your company who
can help me with this situation or will I need to ask put this in the newspaper?
Discuss how you might handle this complaint using the AURA approach.
Analyse

What information will you need?

How will you get this information?

Understand

What are the potential difficulties this situation might be causing the customer?

How do you think the customer feels about the situation?

Respond

What are you going to do in response to the complaint?

What possible options are open to you?

What action will you take in response to the complaint?

Act

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 6 of 17

Possible Answers
In this situation the guest has given a brief description of a problem. However, we dont
yet have enough information to consider how we can best resolve the complaint. The
AURA approach will help us to do this.
Analyse
We need to get much better information about this situation before we can respond to it
constructively. This involves finding out more from the guest and investigating the
history of the situation internally.
There are a number of questions that need answering:

What did the guest order?

What was delivered?

-

Were they wrong food or was something else wrong (e.g. wrong meat?)

Were the delivered food higher/lower quality than those ordered

What has the guest paid?

What happened to the steak originally delivered?

What can be done to remedy the situation?

-

For example, are the right steaks available and how quickly could they be
delivered if we really tried?

Why hasnt the situation been remedied yet?

What inconvenience is being suffered by the guest as a result of this situation?

What does the guest want to happen now?

The answers to these questions will help us to deal with the immediate situation.
However, there is also a need for some enquiries to establish what went wrong. This is
not so that blame can be allocated but to establish the root cause of the problem. Is
there something that needs to be fixed in the operation to ensure that future guests
dont suffer the same fate?

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 7 of 17

Understand
It is important to understand the situation from the guests point of view. It is also
necessary to show the guest that you understand.
As part of your analysis it would be wise to gain an insight into the guests feelings about
the situation. In most cases, this will be very clear if we just take a little trouble to listen
carefully.
Even with the limited brief you have it is not difficult to put yourself in the guests shoes.
It is now how long since the order for the steaks and the guests expectations have still
not been met. At the very least we can expect that he/she will be feeling very frustrated.
We can also expect feelings of disappointment and anger, and hunger.
It is important to listen with empathy. If we dont first acknowledge the feelings of the
person complaining it will be much more difficult to deal with the problem.
Choosing the right words can make all the difference. For example:

This must be very frustrating for you

I think I would be just as annoyed if this happened to me

A simple apology will can also go a long way towards diffusing the situation.
Respond
As already mentioned, a simple apology will usually help to diffuse the situation.
However, the guest will also want to know how we propose to rectify the problem. This
needs to be done clearly, openly and honestly.
In the case of the complaint, there are a number of possible options dependent upon the
result of your analysis. Possible actions include:

Carrying out internal enquiries to establish what has happened and what options
there are to remedy the situation.

If the food that was delivered was of higher quality or higher price than those
ordered, allow the guest to keep them and offer a partial refund.

Allow the guest to keep the food that was delivered at no extra charge.

Arrange for the correct food ordered be delivered urgently.

Give the guest a full refund.

Be sure to involve the guest in the decision. Unless he/she agrees to the solution you
propose it will only make the situation worse.
Is there anything extra you could offer that will help turn the complaining guest into a
loyal guest? For example: offer a discount on any future orders.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 8 of 17

Act
It is not enough to respond and to make promises to the guest. You must take
responsibility to ensure that any action you have agreed to is actually carried out.
The golden rule is that you must not make promises you cannot keep.
The best organisations also do something a little extra in a bid to retain the loyalty of the
guest. Examples may include:

A courtesy call to the guest to check that the complaint was resolved satisfactorily
(this should not be optional).

Provide a small complimentary gift alongside an apology (e.g. some flowers).

Can you think of any other extras that could easily be provided that will make the guest
feel better about the company? It is the small touches that demonstrate that you care
about your guests and distinguish excellent organisations.
Finally, be sure to act on any internal problems you have identified. Of course, it is not
for you to solve a flaw you have spotted in the Room Service system. But, you must
make sure that the right person is made aware of the problem. You may have an internal
system for doing this. If not, you should at least bring the situation to the attention of
your line manager.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 9 of 17

Dealing with Hostility or Anger

Use the Guests name
Make sure you address the guest by name as soon as possible and that you continue to
use it during your discussions. Psychologically it is more likely that you will treat the
guest as an individual if you do this.
If the guest feels that you are treating them impersonally this will only fuel an already
bad situation. Even if the guest is not hostile to begin with the situation can very quickly
deteriorate.

Self-Control
It is very tempting to act negatively in response to hostility. However, it really wont help
the situation. A calm professional approach is much more likely to be effective.

Take a few seconds to compose yourself

Respond calmly and slowly rather than matching the style of the other person

Whilst it may not always work it is remarkable how often the situation calms down just
by taking this approach.

Empathy
You may not agree with the complaint (or the behaviour) but you can still listen to it and
show that you understand. This is known as empathy and is an important step.
The temptation is to go straight to the issue and deal with it, but if we dont deal with the
person first this will be much more difficult to do. A simple acknowledgement that the
other person is angry, and that you understand why, is often all that will be necessary to
de-fuse the situation.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 10 of 17

A few simple words may be all that you need. For example:

I can see why these delays are so frustrating

It must have been very annoying when that happened

I can tell that this has really annoyed you

This is not sympathy and it is not agreeing with the complaint. You are simply showing
that you have listened and that you understand the situation from the guests
perspective.

Listen Actively
Very often people become angry because they dont think their complaint is being
listened. By taking this active approach you may be the first person to actually give them
a fair hearing. It is amazing how often hostility can be turned around just by doing this.
Two simple steps to listening actively are:

Ask questions

Check that you understand correctly (for example: If I understand this correctly,
you are saying that).

Adjourn
There will be occasions when your best efforts seem to have no effect. The hostility and
anger just continues and may even get worse. The guest may even become abusive.
Sometimes, just allowing the guest time to reflect and calm down can make all the
difference.
Is it possible to excuse yourself for a few minutes? For example: I just need to check the
original paper work, etc, etc.
It is remarkable how often you will return to find that the guest is a lot calmer.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 11 of 17

Offer Options
People generally appreciate having the feeling of some control over the outcome. Even
simple choices demonstrate that you care about the guest by allowing them to select
their preferences. For example: Would you prefer to call in to collect it today or for me to
arrange for it to be delivered to you tomorrow?
Let the guest have a choice whenever this is possible.
Dont forget that if an angry guest later finds out that he/she was not told about all of
the options this could lead to resentment and a further complaint.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 12 of 17

Abusive Complainants
There are times when an angry guest just goes too far. We have probably all experienced
or witnessed situations where the anger is accompanied by foul language and the guest
can even become personally abusive.
On these occasions the techniques we have been discussing just wont work. This is a
pity because underlying this awful behaviour might be a genuine complaint we still need
to resolve. Nevertheless, we need to do something about the behaviour.
How do you think other guests will feel if they witness another guest being abusive
towards you?
Notes:

If at all possible, the complainant should be moved from the scene. For example, could
they be invited to discuss the case in a private office.
Alternatively, can you invite the other guests to another quiet location. Whilst this will
not be possible in a public area there may be options for doing this in locations that are
less busy situation (for example office reception areas).

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 13 of 17

3 Strikes and Youre Out!

If the guest is going too far with his/her behaviour it is best
handled professionally. It is no good rising to the bait and
matching the angry behaviour with poor behaviour of our
own.
We recommend an assertive approach which we call 3
Strikes and Youre Out. This involves giving the guest fair
warning that the behaviour is unacceptable and fair
warning of what will happen if it continues.
Strike one!
When faced with unacceptable behaviour we must make it clear that it is unacceptable.
For example: I am finding your language offensive and it is difficult for me to help you if
you keep talking to me like this.
Next explain the benefit of stopping the behaviour. For example: I would like to discuss
with you some ways we can remedy the situation.
Next give a warning. For example: However, I will have no alternative but to put the
phone down (ask you to leave) if this language continues.
You could also offer a brief adjournment to give the guest time to compose
himself/herself. A short break often takes the heat out of the situation.
Hopefully, the guest will realise he/she has gone too far and will now behave acceptably
What should you do if strike 1 does not work?

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 14 of 17

Strike Two!
Give the guest another warning. This should take the form of a reminder and go through
the same three steps.

Point out what is unacceptable about the behaviour and what it is unacceptable
to you.

Remind of the benefit of changing the behaviour.

Remind what will happen if the behaviour does not change.

What should you do if strike 2 does not work?

Strike Three!
Remind the guest of the two warnings you have given:

What the unacceptable behaviour was, and why.

What you are unable to do now, as a result of it

Carry out what you said you would do (e.g. put down the phone: ask the guest to
leave).

Always remember that underlying the behaviour there may have been a legitimate cause
for complaint. It is, therefore, important that you give the guest the opportunity to get
back to you once they have had the chance to reflect on their behaviour.
It is also wise to inform your line manager of the situation.
You should also make a clear and detailed note explaining what has taken place.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 15 of 17

Activity Handling Complaint

Form into groups of three. If it is not possible to do this exactly you may have to organise
one or two pairs instead.
This will be an opportunity to practice handling complaints by using the techniques
covered today.

With groups of three each person takes it in turn to be: Observer, Complainant
and Complaint Handler to work through three scenarios.

For the pairs they will take turn to act as Complainant and Complaint Handler.

Refer to handout: Complaint Handling Debrief.

-

Preparation - 5
Handling complaint 10 minutes
Debriefing 5 minutes

The following approach may be considered of giving positive feedback. You may need to
brief participants in the techniques of giving positive feedback. To keep
1. Ask the complaint handler what he/she did well.
2. Ask the complaint handler what he/she might do differently another time.
3. Tell the complaint handler what you think he/she did well.
4. Tell the complaint handler what he/she could consider doing differently another
time.
5. Tell the complaint handler what you thought they did particularly well.

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 16 of 17

Complaint Handling Debrief

Complaint Handler:_____________________ Observer: _________________________
Please summarize handlers demonstrated knowledge/skills using the rating system
below:
1. Handler shows strength in this area
2. Handler demonstrates some ability in this area
3. Handler needs additional support in this area
4. Not applicable or not observed

Analysis

Active listening of the complaint

Appropriate questions asked

Appropriate further enquiries agreed

Understand

Handler checked that he/she understands the situation correctly

Empathy displayed by the handler

Rating

Customer Focus Program

Handling Complaint
Handout | Page 17 of 17

Respond

Appropriate response made to the complaint

Apology made as appropriate

Options offered to the complainant where possible

Action

Realistic action agreed with complainant

Personal responsibility taken by the handler