ESSENTIAL BAR SKILLS: HOW TO HANDLE COMPLAINTS

Do you dread hearing, "Can I speak to the manager?" Well, fear no more! We take a look at some common customer complaints and share our top tips on how to resolve them.

Most customers usually don’t bother to complain; they walk out, or worse, they leave a negative review online for everyone to see, without giving you the chance to rectify the problem. However, if a customer brings a problem to your attention, seize it as an opportunity to learn from and prevent the issue from occurring again in the future. It is important to teach all employees how to effectively deal with a complaint so they can enhance the customer’s experience, drive customer loyalty and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Dealing with complaints in person

When things go wrong and a customer complains about any form of service or member of staff, it is important to resolve it as quickly as possible. Here is a step-by-step guide:

• Apologize – Be sympathetic and sincere. This will help to build up a connection with the customer and build trust that you will resolve the issue.
• Listen – Give the customer your undivided attention and do not interrupt. Try not to put your problem-solving hat on too quickly.
• Ask Questions – The more you know the more you can help. Put yourself in their shoes to try to better understand the problem.
• Take Action – Own the problem and assure the customer you will act immediately. Update them as to how and when you will resolve the problem.
• Thank Them – Highlighting the problem helps you to improve things for everyone. No one likes to complain so show appreciation that they brought this problem to your attention.

How to deal with online complaints

Customers often find it easier to voice their concerns anonymously online and avoid the potentially awkward situation of complaining in person; this can eliminate the opportunity to resolve the problem in the moment and turn an unhappy customer into a happy one. If this happens, here are some of our top tips you should follow:

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