Hospitality survey on handling customer complaints

The Mystery Dining Company recently sought the views of hospitality operators to determine what measures were in place to capture and act on feedback received by customers. A spokesman said the results, along with those previously received from customers, had revealed some interesting differences between what operators and guests think about these issues. Operators said they preferred to receive feedback face-to-face (45%) and via email (32%). But when customers were asked the same question, comment cards were revealed to be their preferred means of giving feedback, closely followed by face-to-face discussion. The spokesman said: "For the customer a comment card is a non-confrontational way to give feedback. There is also likely to be a feeling that, as it is a format that has been chosen by the operator, the feedback will reach the right people. "Comment cards can be an extremely useful tool; however, they must be processed and evaluated. This takes time to manage which is likely to be why operators prefer a more direct approach. Processing them should be a key consideration when designing comment cards – customer feedback is valuable, but learning how to harness it and use it to your advantage is critical." The survey also showed that operators believe speed is the most common cause for customer complaints. This, again, is at odds with the customer, whose shared perception placed speed at third place, behind food and service as the main cause for complaints. The spokesman said: "It's interesting that operators believe the blame lies in operational processes. Speed is the least subjective of the three most common causes for complaints which may be why it's easier for operators to relate to it. "However what this does highlight is a gap in perception between what the customer is feeling and what the operator is interpreting. It may also be worthwhile to ensure staff make a note of all complaints over the course of a week or even a month; this will help an operator identify trends and in turn enable them to put an action plan in place to reduce complaints." There was a three-way tie in the survey when it came to operators' preferred compensation methods. Offering discount off the meal or bill, a complimentary drink or a voucher to be used on a return visit were the most popular ways to deal with unhappy customers. By contrast, the majority of customers (70%) preferred complimentary food or drink. The spokesman said: "This difference in perspective is not particularly surprising. Operators must balance reputation and profitability. "Making sure the customer leaves happy is the key so it is positive to see that operators are using different means to do this. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for dealing with complaints; it's a good idea to assess each complaint on a case by case basis." The majority (62%) of operators surveyed believe that less than 50% of their customers leave feedback, whether good or bad. Two thirds said they thought the way feedback was handled within the hospitality industry was better than most industries, but felt improvements could still be made. "However, 17% felt no further improvements were necessary, even though 69% of customers said they did not think operators made it very easy to leave feedback." The spokesman said: "It's important not to underestimate the customers' willingness to provide feedback that can be of benefit to the day-to-day running of an operation. "Providing an uncomplicated way – for both customer and operator – to give and receive feedback is crucial. We have continually evolved our own methods to include online reporting systems and we're also developing programmes which will enable customers and clients to give and receive detailed feedback via mobile phone applications." Other key operator facts: • 100% acknowledge that word-of-mouth recommendations make a genuine difference to their operation • 88% monitor third party websites for feedback about their operation at leas