With the exception of a few admitted gripers, most people will tell you that complaining is not a favorite pastime. I am one of those people who often shy away from this kind of confrontation. Yet, once I do muster up enough courage to complain after receiving poor service, I usually feel better about the situation-even if all I was given in return was a simple apology. Certainly there are many things that one could complain about, but when it comes to receiving lousy service, how many of us really let our feelings be heard? Furthermore, does complaining really ever help?
Most reputable companies pride themselves on good service. In fact, most of the hotels and restaurants that I have worked for have listed service as a top priority within their brand motto. And they should, for often the service that a person receives, whether it comes from a restaurant server or a hotel front desk agent, is the defining moment of their overall experience.
Each year, companies pour millions of dollars into training their employees to offer exceptional service, and for a good reason. For example, The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reported this year that for the second year in a row, Apple has received the best rating from PC buyers largely due to their good customer service. Dell, on the other hand, was rated much lower because of dissatisfaction with their inadequate service level. Dell’s customer complaints focused more on the poor customer service and not the actual products that they provided.
Most often a small situation can be corrected immediately, when that is done, it is less likely to be repeated again. Who hasn’t received one of those obnoxious evening calls from a service provider requesting us to take a survey? Of course, it is just their job, but it is an important part of the company’s strategy to increase a positive customer relationship. Once gathered, this survey information is passed on from one person to another, and it often ends up in a big pool of information that later takes on the form of an artfully presented pie chart. Why not save them a few steps and tell them immediately when sub-par service has been received?
Although a patron might find guest services less than satisfactory, a lot of people will tell you that they just don’t feel comfortable mentioning something that bothers them. Personally I find it particularly difficult to complain about service that I feel has not been up to standard. Of course I find no problem complaining when I get home to my husband who has had no part in the experience. Perhaps it comes from my parents who raised me to be quiet and not to complain. But besides being the customer receiving bad service, I have also been on the receiving end of these complaints. And most of the time, after recovering from the initial sting of the complaint, I often found the suggestion to be true and helpful.
Now before you open your mouth to holler out the first indiscretion that pops in your head, first make sure that you have a legitimate complaint. I can tell you from my own experience working in a hotel, that a lot of these unsubstantiated complaints are usually followed with a request for something free. Ungrounded complaints will get you nowhere. Most logical and concerned managers can see right through those falsities and will look into the situation intently.
Julie Watson from Forbes tells us that the first rule in complaining is knowing exactly what it is that you are complaining about, make sure it is worth mentioning, and know what action you want to come from it. So don’t think that by just complaining you will get a complementary dinner or a key lime pie on the house.
If there is a real fault in the service you received it is your right (and in some cases duty) to let someone there know about it. According to Susan Ward who runs an IT consulting business, good customer service is listening to your customers, dealing with complaints, being helpful, and taking the extra step. If this is true, and since most businesses do claim to strive for good service, we then should feel comfortable letting them know when good service has not been attained.
The next step is to know how to complain effectively and tactfully. There is actually a right and a wrong way of complaining. I remember when I was waiting tables, as hard as it was taking a complaint from a customer, I would much rather hear the complaint myself and attempt to resolve it, rather than find one of my smiling customers pulling my manager aside to complain of the problem. I would especially appreciate it when I was approached in a kind and respectful way.
Keith Bailey, co-author of Customer Service for Dummies, adds that you should not immediately ask to speak with a manager, or over-dramatize your emotions. Instead, he suggests that by just being polite and letting them attempt to rectify the situation, you will usually get them on your side.
Writing a letter is another way to express your concern if an issue has not been satisfied. When I was almost eight months pregnant with my daughter, I experienced the most awful plane ride on a return trip from a family reunion. Not only did we wait almost two hours for our plane to take off, but also we soon discovered that the toilet was inoperable. I kept myself from launching into a full panic attack by breathing (and swearing) into a paper bag.
After returning home from the miserable trip, I thought the only thing that could help me feel better was a box of Girl Scout cookies washed down with a strawberry milkshake. After all, the one time I had complained before about a plane being late, I was told that the tardiness of the planes was “out of their control”. My husband, however, promptly sat down that evening and wrote a letter explaining the many grievances that we encountered on our trip in a polite and formal letter. To my surprise, we received an apology and were credited airline points.
Maybe everyone would be more comfortable with complaints if they were called something different. For example, a discussion involves taking a more balanced approach, in which we actively try to understand the problem and remedy the situation. Another definition I found in Webster’s dictionary describes a possible solution with the word tip- meaning a “piece of advice or confidential information...” To many people today that word just means 20%.
It is your right as a customer to bring up concerns or problems with your service, and when executed correctly, these “complaints” can go a long way. Perhaps we can come to a better realization that in the service industry, a tactfully executed complaint might have a greater value than originally expected-like a really good tip.
Written by Karen
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