Provide Services to Colleagues
and Customers
Guest Relations
Complaint Handling
TYPES OF CUSTOMERS
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INTERNAL CUSTOMERS
People with whom we work
 EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS
Including:
- International tourists
- Families
- Business Travellers
- People with disabilities
- Difficult customers
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What are wants, needs and expectations?
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Needs
◦ A human need is a state of felt deprivation
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Wants
◦ A form taken by human needs as they are shaped by culture and
individual personality
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Expectations
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To be treated with respect
To be made welcome
To receive timely and professional assistance and service
To be understood
To feel important
To be appreciated
To be recognised
To enjoy the experience
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Factors influencing needs and
expectations include
Social
 Cultural
 Economic
 Health
 Age
 Personality
 Personal interests
 Likes and dislikes
 Time Available
 Perception
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NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF
CUSTOMERS could include
Basic Human Needs
Food, Shelter,
Security,Social and
Esteem
 Special services and
facilities
 Entertainment
 Information
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What would you consider when dealing
with guests with special needs?
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Physically challenged – mobility impaired,
hearing impaired or blind
Intellectually challenged
Pregnant women
Families with children
Unaccompanied children
Business travelers
Travelers with special cultural or language needs
Elderly travelers
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Customer Service Skills include
Meeting customer requirements
Demonstrating communication skills – listening
and questioning techniques
 Handling customer requests and complaints
 Developing a rapport
 Promoting suitable products and service to
enhance experience
To deliver quality service we must also
demonstrate appropriate work ethics and
behaviour.
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What is quality service?
You could describe customer service as the art
of relating to your customers so they feel
comfortable, looked after, satisfied, special and
welcome.
 Service excellence is achieved when the
enterprises’ services and facilities not only meet
but exceed the guests expectations.
 Can you think of when this has happened to
you?
 Can you think of when you may have delivered
quality service to a customer?
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WHAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICE!!!
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KNOWLEDGE
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Of your customer
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Of how to do your job
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Of all services and facilities in your hotel
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Of local and state attractions
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Interpersonal skills
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Anticipation of your customer needs
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SKILLS
ATTITUDE
Genuine desire to help your guests - whether solving
problems or just making sure they have a great stay
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Positive attitude at all times
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Proactive – providing help and guidance without necessarily being
asked – guests feel they can depend on you
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Displaying tact and diplomacy
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Steps to Ensure we give Quality Service!
Anticipate needs
 Welcome customers warmly – with a warm genuine smile
 Listen and probe - ask open questions
 Reflective listen
 Offer an action plan to deliver what they want
 Agree on this plan
What? Where? When? How?
 Avoid broken promises
 Follow up to check everything is up to their expectations
Combine this with:
 Communicating in a language they can understand
 Tune into their individual needs – by observation
 Use their name – wherever possible
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Maintaining Quality Service
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Organisation and staff responsibilities
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Training of staff
Good communications between departments
Established work programs
Good awareness of activities within other departments
Importance of quality customer service to hospitality
industry
◦ Customers have come to expect quality service
◦ Competition demands quality service
◦ Quality service is the key to business success
Quality service requires you to be one step ahead of the customer
– anticipating their needs
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ANTICIPATE THE NEEDS OF YOUR
CUSTOMERS
ASK YOURSELF:
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Have I considered all the customer
needs?
What could the customer need next?
How can I improve the service now
for the customer?
Then offer to provide that service
- without the customer having
to ask!
Have you ever anticipated a
customers needs?
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How do you know when we’ve given
Quality Service?
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Increased job satisfaction
Positive performance appraisals
Gratuities – tips/gifts
Thank You - by letter or verbally
Enhanced reputation
Establishment winning quality awards
Returning guests
Guest Comment Cards - Questionnaires
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WHY PEOPLE COMPLAIN?
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From frustration
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To impress other
people
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For compensation
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When dealing with a guest
complaint - NEVER
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Talk down to the
customer
Be defensive
Justify why it
happened
Blame other people
or departments
Blame the customer
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COMPLAINT HANDLING PROCEDURE
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Listen without interruption
Don’t get defensive
Use a ‘sad but glad’ expression
Express concern and empathy - apologise sincerely
Establish the problem - ask questions
Find out what they want
Explain what you can and cannot do
Fully discuss alternatives
Take Action
Follow up to ensure they are happy
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Handling Complaints
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Information recorded accurately in Complaint Log
Recognised complaint handling procedure followed
Relevant department or personnel consulted
Follow up to ensure everything is resolved - record
action in Log
Log reviewed to see if on going/multiple complaints
being received and what steps can be taken to
rectify.
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Empowerment
The person who takes the
complaint owns the
complaint.
You should try to resolve the
complaint to the best of
your ability.
Do you know what you can do
to resolve a complaint
without calling for a
manager or supervisor?
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Complaint Recording and Follow Up
Procedures
All complaints must be handled diplomatically so all parties recognise:
 The issue has been raised with relevant authority
 All points of view have been aired
 Discretion will be applied in resolving the matter
 Due process will be followed
 Action will be taken and the matter will be remedied
You must establish the details of the customer complaint through
 Questioning and active listening techniques
 Summarising and clarifying the issue
 Recording details of complaint
 Discussing with customer the process of resolution – giving them options
and letting them know how the complaint will be resolved
You need to know the lines of reporting complaints and when to seek
assistance
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Benefits of positive handling of complaints
The value of amicably resolving complaints
can not be underestimated and include:
 Promoting goodwill
 Improved customer relations
 Positive work of mouth publicity
 Promotion of enterprise service ethic
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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COMPLAINING
CUSTOMER AND A DIFFICULT CUSTOMER
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A complaining customer is somebody
whose needs and expectations have not
been met
A difficult customer is somebody who is
a challenge to serve because of their
personality, for example, they may be
rude, impatient or talkative
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HOW CAN A CUSTOMER BE DIFFICULT?
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Rude
Impatient
Noisy
Talkative
Confused - unable to
make decisions
Silent
Fussy
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TYPES OF DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS
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Rude Customer
Can be rude to everyone - they just
don’t feel comfortable being nice.
DO Ignore their rudeness and don’t take it personally
DON’T
Become Rude and Aggressive
Impatient Customer
Always in a hurry - and it won’t matter how quickly you serve
them - they will still be impatient
DO Serve them quickly and politely
DON’T
Waste their time with conversation and they
may not want you trying to sell them products
and services
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TYPES OF DIFFICULT
CUSTOMERS
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Confused Customer
Find it difficult to make decisions and may take a long time
to decide
DO Be helpful by making suggestions and asking questions
DON’T
Rush them - they could become flustered and
embarrassed
Talkative Customer
Wants to talk and could spend all day doing it
DO Be friendly and attentive - Lead the conversation
DON’T
Ignore them or give them all your attention
so other customers are ignored
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