BLAST…
Many major restaurant chains use the following acronym and explanation to help staff remember how to deal with complaints: B*L*A*S*T
- Believe (the customer has a legitimate complaint)
- Listen (and show you are listening to their concerns)
- Apologise (when you or your staff are at fault)
- Satisfy (replace the dish, offer a free drink)
- Thank (them for pointing out the problem and that you appreciate their input)
Customer Service – not just procedure, more a mind-set.
Your complaints policy should not only be a matter of procedure but should also be based upon the principles of good customer service:
- Openness and honesty – by all means be honest and open, but don’t admit fault until you know the full facts of the matter.
- Fairness – you should be equitable in your approach to both staff and customers when dealing with a complaint – there are always two sides to every story.
- Efficiency – quick and efficient problem resolution should be the mantra of your customer service process.
- Accountability – always give the customer a named contact with whom they can communicate at a later date if they feel they wish to take the matter further (even if it’s only your own name and you will still be the person dealing with their complaint).
My four top tips for dealing with customer complaints are:
1. Let your staff know that dealing with complaints is a positive thing and that you value them dealing with complaints in a professional manner and make sure they never feel intimidated or embarrassed by offering up complaints to you – if they know it’s going to be a nightmare every time they bring something to your attention you’ll end up never hearing about customer complaints.
2. Never, ever, upbraid or ‘‘chew out’’ a member of staff in front of your customers – not only is it unprofessional, but it will demoralise the staff member and may well embarrass the customer – either of whom may simply walk away from you and your pub.
3. As far as possible, be available at all times to deal with any issues raised by staff or customers, it’s better to get things dealt with quickly than allowing them to fester and grow into a major problem. Make sure your customers know that you are the one to complain to if they don’t get satisfaction from your staff regarding a perceived problem.
4. Ask your customers to give feedback either by Feedback Cards, Facebook, Twitter or even an email and respond to it quickly once it’s given. Don’t be afraid to deal with complaints publicly, because if you resolve them well, you will enhance your pub’s customer service reputation and the overall reputation of your pub.
Don’t Forget Customer Service During December
SMG surveyed 2,000 people and found 60% of customers wait longer in December for a meal than in any other month and 33% would have ordered more during meals in but didn’t get the opportunity through inattentive staff, 40% of respondents reported having had their food orders completely forgotten by staff and 55% go into the festive period anticipating poor service.
The research also found that forgotten orders are most common in the south-east and south-west with nearly 21% of Londoners and 23% of customers from the West midlands having experienced rude staff. Walk-out rates are highest in Scotland and the West Midlands with 25% of respondents reporting feeling so frustrated with the service they received that they left without paying. 50% don’t look forward to Christmas parties due to a previous experience of poor customer service and 34% would refuse to return to a venue where they had been disappointed before.
Customers should not have a reduced customer experience because your pub isn’t prepared, you need to ensure that you’ve hired sufficient staff and provide training for staff to better deal with customer queries.You may wish to consider providing incentives to staff to keep them working to the best of their ability and treat customers well and keep them well informed of the situation at all times. Take advantage of this opportunity by focussing your efforts on providing first class customer service and nurturing customer relationships; you’ll more than likely turn those customers into ones that not only return, but recommend your business to others.
For more on Mystery Dining see this piece on my blog … click here
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