You're managing a guest complaint with multiple complex issues. How can you address it effectively?

Sharing some best practices Step Wise Sequence 1) Generate confidence in your teams to provide first hand, un-filtered feed back to a single point of contact - general your guest relations. 2) GRE (Guest Relations Executive) maintains a clear log of what happened, when it happened, details of any on-the-spot recovery efforts For complaints - addressed and recovered, make a note For complaints - addressed and not-recovered, escalate to supervisor to connect with guest and offer a listening ear and propose some recovery options to choose from.

As a Steak & Ale manager in the 80's, I think they had it nailed. Genuine concern by the manager after being rapidly informed by the wait staff. Then, a comp on the meal if it was even the slightest bit wrong and couldn't be fixed (very) promptly. And, if that didn't exceed the expectation, a comp on top of the comp for dinner. And, if more than 2 folks had a problem, the entire table is comped with a comp for the entire table to return. Expensive? Certainly! Did it work? Amazingly well!

For me it’s all about the guest. Determine the root cause of the complaint(s). Kindness goes a long way. Address the issues positively. Listen to the guests complaining or read the complaints and address each item with positive solutions. Do what it takes to retain their confidence in the restaurant or business. Invite them back and ensure they have the best experience and great food. A visit from leadership and the chef ( presuming this is for a restaurant) to the table. Make the evening all about them. All said and done, now it’s your time to review this whole situation with your crew to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. Turn this situation into a best practice. ??

In the short term, it's important to assure the guest of your strong intent for best hospitality service. With multiple issues eroding this promise, start with understanding the issues by listening to guests & staff and also leverage data collected (if any) during touchpoints to prioritise where to take action. With appropriate reassurance and timely action, guests feel valued leading to de-escalation of the issue. In the long term, having the right guest experience tools such as mobiGuest, one can know the real time sentiment, transparency in interactions and escalation controls to avoid any delay in service recovery.