Get a grip on gripes

By Phil Mellows

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Complaint Pleading

Phil Mellows: Complaints will not damage business if dealt with immediately
Phil Mellows: Complaints will not damage business if dealt with immediately
If your staff can deal with complaints as soon as they arise, then you should be able to send your customers away as happy advocates of your business, Phil Mellows reports.

The British, they say, are bad at complaining. A good thing, too, you might think, but it's the silent complainer you want to watch.

They'll keep quiet and vow never to come back. They'll also tell all their mates what a terrible pub you've got, how the white wine was less than perfectly chilled, the steak closer to medium than medium rare.

No, it's the complainers who should be your most treasured customers. They may be the straw in the wind that tells you where you can improve. They are also presenting you with the opportunity to send them away as regulars, as ambassadors for your business.

They could become the people who'll tell other people what a great pub you've got.

How you and your staff deal with complaints is a great test, not just of your training and the quality of your people, but the whole culture and ethos of your business.

It's your staff that are on the frontline and they must be armed with what they need to handle a complaint confidently.

"Your first step is to be very clear about what your business stands for," says Mary Jane Flanagan, who set up the All Bar One chain, ran various independent bar and restaurant chains and is now training director at human resources consultant Learnpurple. "If your staff don't know what you're trying to achieve they can't make decisions."

You might feel nervous about giving staff the freedom to give stuff away, but it's important that you allow them scope to resolve complaints on the spot as much as possible. It's actually cheaper that way, as Flanagan points out.

"The higher up the chain the complaint goes the higher the cost. A general manager is always going to have to give more to ensure a customer is satisfied. So the quicker it's resolved, the less it will cost you."

So, based on Flanagan's experience, here's a guide to best practice in turning complaining customers into happy ones.

Check back

This is about giving unhappy customers the chance to express their feelings. When diners are eating, staff should be trained to check back within the first few minutes of them starting each course. They should ask an open question that gives the diner every opportunity to complain — "How is your meal?" rather than "Is your meal OK?"

Don't forget drinkers. Why not ask people how the beer is?

Walk the floor

Not every unhappy customer will complain, even at check-back, so you, and your managers, should be walking the floor, looking out for the body language that will give away the silent complainer. Then you should go and talk to them before the

bill comes.

Assume honesty

You could assume most complainers are on the make, only interested in

a free meal, but it's better to assume they have a genuine reason for

complaining so you can empathise with them.

Know your product

When a customer complains about something, it helps if your staff know the way that dish or drink should be. So make sure your people have a thorough knowledge of your product range. Organise tastings.

Create a blame-free culture

People make mistakes. It's important that they feel able to take responsibility, so that a complaint is dealt with properly, and you can reduce the chances of it happening again.

Empower your people

Make sure staff are confident about having the conversation with customers and that they are free to deal with a complaint themselves without having to refer it to anyone else.

Of course, they need to record, in some way, how they have resolved the issue.

Set compensation limits

Give staff the tools to respond to a complaint. Set them parameters, or limits, for compensation, whether it happens to be a free drink, a discount or a free meal.

Don't take it personally

When the British do get around to complaining it can be quite unpleasant for the member of staff who bears the brunt of it. Be sensitive. He or she will need to be reassured that they're not to blame and be offered a break to calm down.

Debrief teams

At the end of each shift, get the team together for a structured meeting that goes through everything

that's happened — including any complaints. It will help to ensure continuity between shifts and give you a written record that you can

go back to should a complaint be taken further.

Review your systems

A complaint may result from an individual's error, but it's possible that it's a systemic failure. If a similar kind

of complaint recurs, ask yourself whether you have the right systems in place.

Reduce complaints

It goes without saying, perhaps, but you should complete the circle by making sure what you learn from complaints feeds back into your offer and operation, meaning you'll have less complaints in the future.

Making customers happy

Oisin Rogers manages two London pubs for Young's, the Ship in Wandsworth and the Orange Tree in Richmond.

"Our job is making sure the customer is happy. A complaint is flagging up to us that they aren't happy, and it means we've already failed. So we have to get a resolution that will turn the complaining customer into an advocate of our business,

"There's no given, general process for dealing with complaints. It's the result that's important. If you make the customer happy at the end of it, then you've done the process.

"So it's up to each individual member of staff as to how they do that. We don't train them, but they understand what the business is about, that it's about making the customer happy.

"We've never had an issue about staff giving away too much to achieve that. If you make someone happy they'll become an advocate for your pub and that's worth more than any free meal.

"It's true a huge number of people won't complain when they're unhappy. We make sure everyone gets a comment card — and a pen to fill it in — before they leave. But experienced staff should be able to tell when someone isn't happy and go and talk to them about it.

"There is a way of having that conversation. Asking if everything is OK is no good.

"You need to be specific. Ask them whether their steak has been up to the standards they expect, for instance.

"OK isn't good enough. Anything less than eight out of 10 is a complaint."

Training is key

Sarah Evans manages Brains house the Red Dragon in Bridgend, South Wales, a finalist in the Publican Awards' Customer Service Pub of the Year.

"We've very good staff here and they are well-trained to deal with any complaints themselves. If there's a problem they'll deal with it.

"The kitchen staff, too, are very good at jumping in and sorting out any sort of

food-related complaint.

"We have a check-back procedure within 10 to 15 minutes of a customer starting their meal, which makes sure we can deal with any problem without them having to leave the table and come to the bar.

"It's a rarity for a complaint to get as far as me."

Related topics Training

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