No matter which industry one works in, no one wants to handle complaints. Why would you? Yet, handling complaints effectively is a requirement of any successful business.
Think back to the last time you made a complaint. Did you feel heard? Was there empathy? In the end, were you satisfied with the resolution? Unfortunately, the answer is often a resounding “no”. Nothing was resolved, you walked away frustrated, and you vowed to never do business with them again.
In hospitality, there are countless moving parts, and any number of them can go wrong. Imagine arriving to a lacklustre welcome, followed by patchy service while being seated at a wobbly table with a creaking chair and sticky residue under the table rim. Perhaps your order was also taken incorrectly, or delivered with a careless, “slam-it-on-the-plate” presentation.
Or, your medium lamb rack arrives with uncooked fat and a definitively raw centre, despite being told the chef only serves lamb medium-rare. Then, after tolerating a warm beer, the $100 bottle of red wine you ordered is served at a tepid 28°C because it was stored in a sunny spot at the bar.
At each point, service staff assure you, “This is the way we do it, and we’ve never had anyone complain before.” But you think, really? Not wanting to make a scene, you back down rather than escalate the issue, before going on Google or another platform to leave a bad review.
Often, these online complaints are relayed to the chef and wait staff as significant issues and usually blown out of proportion to the actual incident. This can create a negative atmosphere in the establishment and take a toll on staff mental health.
As a manager, it’s crucial to put the issue in perspective relative to the total number of meals served.
Complaints are a valuable litmus test and a perfect opportunity to review the processes and procedures that led to the issue. A positive manager will use this feedback to implement solutions that reduce the chances of the problem recurring. This includes understanding why the issue was not identified and solved at the source, knowing that the customer’s negative experience could potentially affect 15-20 potential customers.
Always remember that customers only want their hard-earned money to be respected. Therefore, complaint handling should always focus on ensuring the customer feels their concern is legitimate and will be addressed.
Changing your response, as a business and as a manager, will result in return customers and more customer-focused staff.
Paul Rifkin: Head Chef Mentoring and
Fine-Tuning Specialist for Club Catering
chefpaulrifkin consulting