RECEIVE AND RESOLVE

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

Slide 1
Subject Elements
This unit comprises four Elements:
 Identify and analyse the complaint
 Respond to complaints
 Determine and agree upon appropriate
action to resolve complaint
 Refer complaints

Slide 2
Assessment
Assessment for this unit may include:
 Oral questions
 Written questions
 Work projects
 Workplace observation of practical skills
 Practical exercises
 Formal report from supervisor

Slide 3
Element 1:
Identify and analyse
the complaint

Slide 4
Identify and analyse the complaint
Performance Criteria for this Element are:
 Receive and accurately record a verbal complaint
using active listening and empathy techniques
 Identify through appropriate communication techniques
the exact nature of the customer’s complaint
 Maintain register or complaint file/s in
accordance with the requirements of the
enterprise’s information system

Slide 5
Complaints
Regardless of how well a business operates, problems will
occur.

When problems occur, complaints are the common

outcome that needs to be addressed:
 Who is normally the cause of problems?

Slide 6
Complaints
Regardless of the complaint they must be:
 Identified
 Addressed in a timely manner
 Resolved hopefully to the satisfaction of both the
organisation and customer

Slide 7
Complaints
Quite often complaints arise when the customer’s:
 Needs
 Wishes
 Expectations

are not met!

Slide 8
Customer needs, wishes and
expectations
 Common problems in relation to customer service
revolve around the concepts of customer needs,
wishes and expectations
 Customer service centres around an organisation’s
ability to meet or exceed customer needs, wishes and
expectations

Slide 9
Customer needs
Needs

These underlie wishes and expectations and are the

things customers are unable to do without.

They may be in a foreign town and simply cannot do

without:
 A bed for the night
 A meal or beverage
 A clean and hygienic environment

Slide 10
Customer needs
Generic customer needs

Whilst all the organisation’s customers have their own

individual needs, there are a number of generic or
common needs that staff must address when providing
quality customer service.

Slide 11
Customer needs
Generic customer needs
 Value for money
 ‘Offering’ reflecting what was advertised
 Expectations met or exceeded
 To feel respected
 To feel welcomed
 To be served by friendly staff

Slide 12
Customer needs
Generic customer needs
 To be dealt with in a prompt and courteous manner
 To receive assistance when necessary
 To be in comfortable, clean surroundings
 To feel remembered and recognised
 To be heard and understood

Slide 13
Customer needs
Specific target market needs

Business:
 Computer and internet access
 Newspapers
 Executive lounges
 Laundry services
 Business and news channels

Slide 14
Customer needs
Specific target market needs

Women:
 Hairdryers
 Larger mirrors
 Healthier food options
 Specific bathroom amenities
 Fashion magazines
 Bath

Slide 15
Customer needs

Specific target market needs

Family:
 Interconnecting rooms
 All inclusive packages
 Entertainment options
 Child care facilities & Children’s television programs
 Handicapped facilities &/or disabled toilets
 Safety

Slide 16
Customer needs
Specific target market needs

Leisure:
 Cheaper rates
 Local attractions
 Concierge services
 Activities

Slide 17
Customer needs
Specific target market needs

Elderly:
 Single beds
 Medical facilities
 Suitable food options
 Cheaper rates

Slide 18
Customer needs
Specific target market needs

Groups:
 Need for large allocation of rooms
 Cheap rates
 Meeting rooms
 Specialised menus
 Bus access and parking

Slide 19
Customer wishes
Wishes

These refer to the way in which our customer would prefer

to satisfy a specific need, but they may not have the
resources to meet these wishes.

They may wish to:

 Stay in the luxury suite
 Dine at an internationally renowned, 5 star
fine dining restaurant
 Drink expensive champagne

Slide 20
Customer expectations
Customers have perceived expectations of what level of
service they expect when visiting a venue:
 Where do expectations come from?

Slide 21
Customer expectations
Origins of customer expectations
 The company’s image or reputation in the market
 Past visits
 Advertisements and promotional messages
 Competing hotels
 Industry standards
 Comments from family, friends
and colleagues
 Price charged for the offering

Slide 22
Complaints
 As mentioned, complaints arise when customers’
needs, wishes or expectations are not met
 Complaints are a common part of any organisation
 It is unrealistic to think that everyone will be happy,
every day

Slide 23
Complaints
Keys to handling complaints

Three keys to respond to customer complaints are to be:

 Positive
 Sensitive
 Polite

Slide 24
Complaints
Types of complaints
 Rude staff and management
 Difficult or demanding customers
 Lack of service, or poor, service
 Expectations not being met
 Dissatisfaction with the accommodation
 Services are poor

Slide 25
Complaints
Types of complaints
 Unhygienic conditions
 Low comfort levels
 Rowdy and unacceptable behaviour
displayed by other customers
 A mistake with an account
 Error in the reservation or booking
 Special requests not being adhered to

Slide 26
Complaints
Types of complaints
 Limited or no rooms/tables available
 Requirement to guarantee a reservation
 Inflexibility in methods of payment
 Hidden charges
 Ejection from the premises

Slide 27
Complaints
Warning signs of a complaint

Usually, before someone makes a complaint, they give

outward signs of their dissatisfaction:
 What are possible warning signs that a customer is
about to complain?
 Can all complaints be predicted?

Slide 28
Complaints
Warning signs of a complaint

Some signs of dissatisfaction include negative changes in:

 Body language
 Voice
 Actions

Slide 29
Complaints
Warning signs of a complaint
Common actions a guest may make when about to
complain includes:
 Look angry or aggressive
 Appear flustered or frustrated
 Display contorted facial expressions
 Glance around as if seeking assistance
 Physically touch another guest or colleague
 Become too loud
 Become argumentative

Slide 30
Complaints
Delivery of complaints

There are a number of ways in which a complaint is

brought to the attention of staff and management:
 Written complaints
 Verbal – face to face
 Verbal - telephone

Slide 31
Complaints
Deal with complaints sensitively, courteously and
discreetly

When handling all compliant situations it is important to

deal with them in a manner that is:
 Friendly
 Efficient
 Respectful
 Courteous
 Thorough

Slide 32
Complaints
Being sensitive

Being sensitive when dealing with a customer complaint

asks you to:
 Take all complaints seriously
 Take time to assess the environment
 Factor in relevant issues
 Approach each situation appropriately
 Make requests and suggestions to people

Slide 33
Complaints
Being courteous

Being courteous means being polite:

 Use people’s name, where known
 Say ‘please’ when asking them to do something
 Say ‘thank you’ if they comply with a request
 Demonstrate respect for them
 Use open gestures

Slide 34
Complaints
Being discreet

Being discreet when dealing with complaints asks you to:

 Talk quietly to the person
 Remove the person to another area, if possible
 Take whatever action is appropriate to deal with the
situation without drawing unnecessary attention to it

Slide 35
Handling complaints
Handling complaints
 What, in your opinion is the best way to handle
complaints?
 What would you do first?

Slide 36
Greeting the customer
Handling complaints
 Greet them
 Identify yourself
 Identify who the guest is
 Thank them for bringing the complaint
to their attention

Slide 37
Greeting the customer
Handling complaints
 Offer assistance in trying to find a suitable solution to
their complaint
 Take the person to a suitable location
 Depending on the situation, you may wish to offer them
a refreshment

Slide 38
Use effective communication
Once we have greeted the customer, one of the most
important aspects of handling customer complaints
effectively is through the use of effective communication:
 What ways do we communicate with each other?

Slide 39
Use effective communication
Communication skills

Communication involves sending and receiving

messages:
 Verbally
 Non-verbally

Slide 40
Use effective communication
Communication skills – verbal
 Listening
 Questioning
 Speaking

Slide 41
Use effective communication
Communication skills – non-verbal
 Facial expressions
 Eye contact
 Gestures
 Posture

Slide 42
Use effective communication
Interpersonal skills

The following skills are important for effective workplace

communication:
 Face the person you are talking with
 Maintain eye contact if possible
 Address the person by their name
 Establish a rapport

Slide 43
Verbal communication
Listening

At this time the most important thing to do is to listen so

you can:
 Identify the main points of the complaint
 Separate the actual aspects of the
complaint from the emotion
 Identify a possible suggested solution
 The customer must be given the
time to say their piece!

Slide 44
Verbal communication
Questioning

Asking questions also enables you to:

 Acquire more accurate information
 Identify what the other person wants in order
to solve the complaint
 Demonstrate you are actively and genuinely
interested in resolving the complaint
 Clarify ambiguities
 Better understand contexts

Slide 45
Verbal communication
Types of questions
Closed questions:
 Asking closed questions clarifies or confirms
information
 Simple ‘Yes” or “No” answer
Open questions:
 Asking open questions is often used to
gain more information

Slide 46
Verbal communication
Questioning techniques

Useful techniques when questioning people to obtain

information about a complaint or to determine a possible
solution are to:
 Rephrase or repeat questions
 Paraphrase the responses they have given you

Slide 47
Non verbal communication
Observing customer’s body language

When we listen and question, we are also:

 Watching to identify non-verbal communication
 Analysing what the person is saying
 Interpreting the words and the body language

Slide 48
Non verbal communication
Transmitting body language

You need to pay attention to the messages your body

language is sending when dealing with a conflict situation:
 Your stance and posture
 Your facial expressions
 How you hold your arms

Slide 49
Recording complaint details
Write information

When the customer is talking, it is important that you write

the information down as it:
 Helps identify the actual aspects of the complaint
 Shows you have taken the complaint seriously

Slide 50
Recording complaint details
Repeat information

Once the customer has finished explaining their complaint,

it is worthwhile to repeat back the complaint to the
customer.

This allows you to establish:

 The scope and nature of the problem
 Any history that might accompany it

Slide 51
Recording complaint details
Repeat information

Repeating information is important as it:

 Shows that you have indeed been listening
 States the complaint, without the emotion – normally
making the complaint less serious
 Ensures the complaint is correct
 Acts as a basis to work towards a solution

Slide 52
Speaking
 Now that we have listened and asked questions to
identify the aspects of the complaint it is now time to
work towards finding an acceptable solution
 It is now our time to speak and to start the process
towards reaching a solution to the complaint

Slide 53
Speaking
The effectiveness of our communication will be influenced
by various elements of our speech.

These elements are:

 Pitch or tone
 Intensity
 Projection
 The pauses we use in our speech

Slide 54
Speaking
Stay calm and positive

A positive and cooperative manner can help to:

 Smooth over a potentially problematic situation
 Demonstrate your willingness to resolve the issue
 Create an initial friendly atmosphere
 Maintain positive customer relations

Slide 55
Speaking
Apologise for problem and inconvenience

One of the first things that we communicate in our

response is to acknowledge that a complaint exists:
 Thank the customer for bringing the complaint to them
 Acknowledge that a problem has occurred
 Acknowledge the inconvenience
 Apologise for it

Slide 56
Clarify details of the complaint
Defining the complaint

An essential factor in resolving complaints is that:

 The nature and details of the conflict are identified
 Accepted by everyone as being at the heart of the
issue

Slide 57
Clarify details of the complaint
Defining the complaint
 Names of those involved
 Details of times, dates, figures, amounts
 Identification of exact service or products that failed
 The factual details
 Actions or inactions taken (or not taken)
by staff or other people

Slide 58
Agree on details of the complaint
Agree on the nature and details of the complaint
 Repeat back to the person what they have told you
 Elicit additional information and clarification
 Obtain assurance that what they have told you
constitutes the entire complaint
 Confirm they are genuinely seeking a solution to what
has been described

Slide 59
Handling alcohol related complaints
Whilst most complaints are not influenced by alcohol, it is
important to handle these situations, when they arise, in a
professional manner:
 Why is handling complaints involving alcohol different?
 How do you handle these situations?

Slide 60
Handling alcohol related complaints
Tips for handling alcohol related complaints
 Identify situations where problems may arise as early
as possible
 Try to involve the customer by providing options
 Treat the customer professionally
 Don’t touch the customer, where possible
 Take action as early as possible
 Follow all house policies, rules and regulations

Slide 61
Keeping written documentation
Whenever a complaint is received it is common policy for
many hospitality establishments to keep a written record of
it:
 What are the benefits of keeping a written record of
information?

Slide 62
Keeping written documentation
Benefits of written documentation
 Establishes a clear record of facts relating to a
complaint
 Identifies any communication or action taken place to
date
 Keeps facts of a complaint accurate and impartial
 Is helpful for additional internal and external
parties who may later become involved in
the complaint resolution process

Slide 63
Keeping written documentation
Benefits of written documentation
 Can be used as a reference for similar complaints in
the future
 Acts as an evidence source if additional costs are
incurred
 Acts as a tool to identify common problems which are
to be investigated
 Generates a pool of ‘guest preferences’ which can be
used in the future to avoid further complaints

Slide 64
Keeping written documentation
Complete any necessary documentation accurately

Regardless of the documentation to be used, all

information recorded should be completed:
 Accurately and honestly
 Clearly
 Comprehensively

Slide 65
Keeping written documentation
Complete any necessary documentation accurately

It is imperative that all staff have an understanding of:

 The internal forms and reports that need to be
completed
 The mandatory registers that need to be completed
 When to complete forms, reports or registers
 Who is allowed to complete them
 The time within which they must be completed

Slide 66
Element 2:
Respond to complaints

Slide 67
Respond to complaints
Performance Criteria for this Element are:
 Process complaints in accordance with organisational
standards, policies and procedures
 Obtain and review documentation in
relation to complaints
 Maintain register of complaints/disputes

Slide 68
Processing complaints
Once complaints have been received, agreed and
documented it is now time to:
 Process the complaint
 Hopefully find a solution
 That is of benefit to both the customer and the
organisation

Slide 69
Processing complaints considerations
Organisational standards, policies and procedures

When processing complaints they must be done in

compliance with organisational:
 Standards
 Policies
 Procedures

Slide 70
Processing complaints considerations
Code of ethics

A code of ethics, also referred to as a code of conduct,

outlines how it will handle various issues including
customer complaints:
 What is included in a ‘Code of Ethics’?

Slide 71
Processing complaints considerations
Code of ethics

The code of ethics may focus on ensuring:

 Complaints can be submitted easily
 All complaints are taken seriously
 Timely responses are given in a prompt
and polite manner

Slide 72
Processing complaints considerations
Code of ethics

The code of ethics may focus on ensuring:

 All action will be communicated in a timely manner
 Complaints will be investigated and where possible,
learnt from
 All complaints will remain confidential
or to protect the privacy of parties

Slide 73
Processing complaints considerations
Quality systems, standards and guidelines

Each organisation will have an accepted level of

performance that must be obtained in handling customer
complaints.

These may include stated:

 Objectives
 Rules
 Guidelines

Slide 74
Processing complaints considerations
Scope of authority

All staff are under a legal obligation to only act within their
specifically assigned scope of authority, relating to:
 Their ability to act on behalf of the venue
 Their authority to spend money on behalf of the venue
 Their authority to act in given situations

Slide 75
Processing complaints considerations
Complaints procedures

All organisations will have set procedures that must be

followed in the event that a customer complaint has been
submitted:
 What will these procedures identify?

Slide 76
Processing complaints considerations
Complaints procedures
 How complaints can be lodged
 Who can handle the complaints
 Timelines for handling complaints
 Timelines and documents to be completed
 Reporting process
 Level of authority
 Steps to follow if complaint process
or decision is not satisfactory

Slide 77
Processing complaints considerations
Third party documents

Where external parties will be required to handle aspects of

a complaint, they will have their own policies and
procedures that must be addressed and followed:
 Police
 Medical/hospitals
 Insurance companies
 Embassies and consulates
 Airlines, car hire and other
transportation providers

Slide 78
Review documents/evidence
One of the key requirements of any investigatory activity in
relation to a customer complaint is to collect evidence of
problems that have lead to the complaint itself:
 Why is it important to collect and review evidence?

Slide 79
Review documents/evidence
Purpose of collecting evidence

Helps to identify:
 Truth behind a complaint
 Extent of the complaint
 Cause of the problem
 Who is responsible
 Level of liability
 Areas for improvement in the future

Slide 80
Review documents/evidence
Identify sources of problems
 Where complaints take place, there must be a reason
why a specific problem has taken place
 We need to identify the source of problems

Slide 81
Review documents/evidence
Identify sources of problems

Source of problems are normally caused by:

 Employee
 Organisation
 Customer

Slide 82
Review documents/evidence
Identify sources of problems

Employee qualities:
 Problems may stem from the employee themselves
and can include:

 Person is new to the role

 Person does not understand what they need to do
 Person does not have the knowledge
and skills to do the task

Slide 83
Review documents/evidence
Identify sources of problems

Employee qualities:
 Person may have personal problems
 Person cannot handle stressful situations
 Physical problems, such as lack of energy, restricted
movement, pain or illness

Slide 84
Review documents/evidence
Identify sources of problems

Organisational sources:
 Limited training
 Lack of supervision, direction, instruction or
explanation by management
 Ineffective rostering of staff
 Bad physical work environment and
unsafe conditions
 Ineffective work processes
 Faulty equipment or power cuts

Slide 85
Review documents/evidence
Identify sources of problems

Customer sources

At times, the complaint may be influenced by the customer

themselves including:
 Large amount of customers coming at the same time
 Difficult customers
 Unreasonable requests

Slide 86
Collect documents/evidence
Collecting evidence relating to the complaint

This evidence may come in the form of:

 Invoices
 Discussions with staff
 Discussions with other customers
 Reviewing of surveillance equipment
 Cashiering discrepancy reports
 Observations
 Findings from external investigations

Slide 87
Update register of complaints
During the evidence collection process, any new
information should be updated in the complaint file:
 Why is this important?
 What information should be recorded?

Slide 88
Update register of complaints
Information to contain in file
 Details of the person making complaint
 Details of the complaint
 Chronological order of events
 Summary of discussions or activities taken
 Record of person’s involved
 Evidence collected
 Recommendations

Slide 89
Element 3:
Determine and agree
upon appropriate action
to resolve complaint

Slide 90
Determine and agree upon appropriate
action to resolve complaint
Performance Criteria for this Element are:
 Identify and review options to resolve procedures and
guidelines
 Agree and confirm action to resolve the
complaint with the customer
 Demonstrate a commitment to the
customer to resolve the complaint
 Inform customer of outcome of
investigation of complaint

Slide 91
Identify and review options to
resolve the complaint
 Now is the time to discuss and identify a possible
solution to the problem
 Most complaints can be effectively resolved by more
than one solution

Slide 92
Identify and review options to
resolve the complaint
Your aim must be to find a resolution that is:
 Quick, easy and practical to implement
 Satisfies those involved
 Meets the limitations imposed on you by the law and
organisational requirements.
 Satisfies both customer and organisation

Slide 93
Determining possible solutions
Possible options
 What the customer wants
 Taking into account all points of view
 Organisational policies
 Pre-programmed decisions
 Non-programmed decisions

Slide 94
Determining possible solutions
What the customer wants
 One easy way to find out how to resolve the complaint
is to encouraging the customer to identify what will
solve the issue
 Quite often all they may seek is an apology or a
resolution is easier than what the manager was
expecting

Slide 95
Determining possible solutions
Taking into account all points of view
 When dealing with a customer compliant it is important
to consider the points of view of all parties involved

Slide 96
Determining possible solutions
Organisation policies

Formal, written policies on dealing with customer

complaints are useful because they:
 Provide guidance on what to do in order to resolve
situations
 Give consistency when dealing with
customers
 Relieve staff from having to make
decisions

Slide 97
Determining possible solutions
Organisation policies
These policies may address issues such as:
 Who should deal with problems, complaints at different
levels
 When management or security staff should be involved
 The limits of scopes of authority
 Situations under which the property will
not try to resolve a conflict regardless of
what the customer may allege
 Documentation for completion
 Staff training required

Slide 98
Determining possible solutions
Pre-programmed decisions
 Pre-programmed decisions are where a set policy or
procedure is used to resolve an identified complaint
 Many establishments use pre-programmed decisions
to assist with complaint resolution
 A pre-programmed decision is a decision that
has been thought about and put in place to
act as a standard establishment response to
a given set of circumstances

Slide 99
Determining possible solutions
Pre-programmed decisions
 Designed for common problems
 Provide consistency in decisions made
 Saves staff having to determine what action they
should take

Slide 100
Determining possible solutions
Non-programmed decisions

Non-programmed decisions are where specific responses

to individual complaints are determined on an individual
case by case basis:
 What should be the process in these scenarios?

Slide 101
Determining possible solutions
Non-programmed decisions

If there is no pre-programmed action to follow then the

manager has four basic options to choose from:
 Ask the person what it will take to fix the problem
 Meet the customer half-way or part-way
 Offer a formal apology
 Do nothing

Slide 102
Agree on solution
 Once all possible solutions have been placed on the
table for consideration, there needs to be a concerted
effort to find a mutually agreed solution

Slide 103
Agree on solution
Constraints when reaching solution
 Costs and budgets
 Written policies
 Availability
 Organisational constraints
 Legal constraints

Slide 104
Agree on solution
Define agreed solution

In many cases a written course of action will be

documented that outlines what action is to take place to
resolve the complaint, as agreed by both parties:
 Why is it important to document an agreed solution?
 What information would you wish to record?

Slide 105
Agree on solution
Define agreed solution

This may include a record and commitment outlining:

 Actions or activities to take place
 Who is responsible for ensuring action takes place
 Who will undertake action
 Timelines
 Agreed standard of actions

Slide 106
Resolve the complaint
Demonstrate a commitment to resolve the complaint
 Now that agreement has been reached it must be
actioned
 This should be done as soon as possible and must be
exactly in accordance with the agreement that had
been reached

Slide 107
Resolve the complaint
Demonstrate a commitment to resolve the complaint

Complaint resolution activities can be done by:

 Manager or staff member themselves
 Delegated to another person

Slide 108
Resolve the complaint
Delegated resolution to another person

The manager or staff member must:

 Explain the complaint to the correct individual
 Ensure it is being completed within the specified time
frame
 Keep the customer informed of the
progress of the resolution
 Ensure the complaint has been resolved
in accordance with the agreement and to
the customer’s satisfaction

Slide 109
Resolve the complaint
Inform customer of outcome of investigation of
complaint
 Inform customer of outcome
 Keep customer informed
 Follow up with customer

Slide 110
Investigate complaint
Reasons for undertaking investigatory activities are to:
Identify problem
Ascertain the causes of the problem
Seek remedies to reduce it

Slide 111
Investigate complaint
Some complaints that may NOT require investigation
include:
 Human error
 Cultural or language misunderstanding
 Communication error
 Problem with machinery
 Simple procedural error
 Uncontrollable event
 Something out of the control of
the organization

Slide 112
Investigate complaint
Some complaints requiring investigation include:
 Those occurring on a regular basis
 Those of a serious nature
 Those which can be improved
 Those which can be solved through
training

Slide 113
Element 4:
Refer complaints

Slide 114
Refer complaints
Performance Criteria for this Element are:
 Identify complaints that require referral to other
personnel or external bodies
 Refer complaint to appropriate personnel for follow-up
in accordance with individual level of responsibility
 Forward all necessary documentation including
investigation reports to appropriate personnel
 Refer escalated complaints which cannot
be resolved to an appropriate person

Slide 115
Identify complaints for referral
Whilst most complaints can be handled by individual staff
members or managers within their scope of authority, at
times complaints may need to be referred to executive
management or external bodies:
 What complaints are commonly referred?

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Identify complaints for referral
Common complaints for referral

This normally relates to matters:

 Of a serious nature
 Where specialist skills, knowledge and equipment is
needed to determine evidence
 Where criminal activity has taken place
 Where scope of authority is exceeded

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Refer complaint to appropriate
person
When it has been determined that a complaint needs to be
referred to another person it must be done so in a timely
manner:
 Who is the appropriate person?

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Refer complaint to appropriate
person
Appropriate internal persons

The appropriate person, in some situations, may be:

 A co-worker who has more experience than you
 Higher manager
 Security

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Refer complaint to appropriate
person
Appropriate internal persons when handling intoxicated
patrons
 It must be remembered, that the health and safety of staff
and customers is the primary objective when handling
complaints, especially instances involving intoxication
 As a staff member, it is not a requirement for you to place
yourself in harm’s way if you feel you cannot handle the
situation

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Refer complaint to appropriate
person
Appropriate internal persons when handling
intoxicated patrons
 Supervisor/Management
 Security
 DJ

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Refer complaint to appropriate
person
Appropriate external persons
 Police
 Fire
 Ambulance
 Security company

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Refer complaint to appropriate
person
Reaching suitable external assistance

Easy to reach contact details can include:

 Special button
 Posters with contact numbers
 Speed dials
 Other methods that are suitable

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Forward documentation
Forward all necessary documentation including
investigation reports to appropriate personnel
 By having accurate and completed records and
evidence, it helps them to gain an understanding of all
aspects of the matter in a more effective manner

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Forward documentation
Follow up with appropriate personnel
 Whilst handing of written documentation and evidence
is a great way to provide assistance to those to whom
responsibility has been given for undertaking further
activity, it is also worthwhile to meet with them
personally to conduct a handover

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Forward documentation
Follow up with appropriate personnel
Benefits of conducting a personal handover include:
 Background information can be summarised
 Key points can be highlighted
 A first hand account of activities can be explained,
including reasoning for specific actions
 Sensitive or confidential information can
be identified and explained
 Any queries can be clarified
 Any further information or questions that
others may have can be answered

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An escalated complaint
Types of escalated complains
 The organisational policies specifically call for the
complaint to be handled by management or some other
nominated person
 Every genuine effort on your part to resolve the issue
has been unsuccessful
 Physical confrontation is likely
 Customer is swearing, making threats
or drawing substantial attention to themselves

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An escalated complaint
Types of escalated complains
 The customer is alleging impropriety, dishonesty or
other fraudulent activity on behalf of a staff member
 Customer intends taking legal action
 Customer intends referring the complaint
to the authorities
 Customer intends taking the issue to
the media

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Summary
Whilst customer complaints are often seen in a negative
light, they can be an opportunity to turn an unfortunate
situation into a positive learning experience.

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Revision and Assessments
It is now time to complete any:
 Revision
 Activities
 Assessments

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Critical aspects of Competency
 Assessment requires evidences that
the candidate:
Listened and obtained the entire story or
complaint
Paraphrased the guest complaint
Showed empathy towards complaining
guest
Took action on the guest complaint
Recorded complaint

131
 Required Knowledge
 General service principles/Standards of
service
 Sequence of service
 Handling guests with special needs
 Dealing with difficult customer/clients

132
 Required Skills
 Listening skills
 Basic problem solving skills
 Effective communication skills
 Summarizing and paraphrasing

133
Finish:
Thank you!

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