Difficulties with handling complaining guests? Have you heard of U.N.I.T.Y method?

No, no more ?A” for apologize, ?S” for sorry, ?E” for empathize etc.

Training teams of luxury hotels for quite a few years now, led me to an interesting conclusion when it comes to handling a complaining guest. Most brands even have a certain standard operating procedure, offer?meaningful & helpful acronym and ready lines for the teams to recite. The focus is very much on following each step, usually about listening, apologizing, empathizing, offering solution and thanking. There is nothing wrong with it – it definitely serves well, however, I noticed that the attention instead of being on the human is rather on each step and phrase.

With the focus mainly on steps of handling complaining guests, we make the interactions quite?robotic and w concentrate too much on the script rather than genuine engagement and being in the moment.

?We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them” - Albert Einstein.

So how to be more genuinely engaged and in the moment? We have to go back to a space called mindset, where we have to answer a critical question, whether we authentically, want to assist and be for the human being standing in front of us, or we just want to place another ?tick” on the to-do list?

And this is where I want to take you, exactly to your mindset.

Handling complaints became quite a robotic part of the job, ready scripts are supposed to solve the problem of teams who lack these skills.?But they somehow don’t solve the issue or just do it partially. Why? Because if there is no absolute intention to connect with the guest and unite with him – we will just do our job, nothing more, nothing that hospitality is about. This is what sparked the creation of U.N.I.T.Y. as a guidance for our mindset on handling a complaining guest.

This time I did not prepare ready scripts for you, this time I really want you to use your own words authentically friendly to the guest, having U.N.I.T.Y. as your priority while interacting. It is not our memory for ready lines that will build sincere connection, it is our mindset,?genuine need to unite when facing a complaining guest. See the following guiding points::

U – Understand your guest. To understand someone means to know how they feel and why they behave in the way that they do. Perhaps overused phrase but understanding is strongly bonded with ourselves making a conscious choice to listen to understand, not to listen to reply. This involves not only confirmative body language but also acknowledgement and empathy. Phrases such as ?I hear you”, ?I understand”, ?That absolutely should not have happened”, encourage guests to say more, because what is more important than what the guest said, the things he did not say!

N – Navigate the interaction. In order to successfully navigate you have to read the guest. Reading the guest properly will happen only when you will give up making assumptions or preconceptions. Interpret their verbal and nonverbal cues. Listen to your intuition, it lets us see further than the obvious to reveal the real background. Navigating is making a conscious decision – do I want to guide this interaction to solution & success or do we sink with the ship. The key is to remain objective and receive information neutrally without distorting it. This will help you stay calm and remain genuinely engaged, while the guest will start appreciating your approach.

I – Include and accept. ?I understand, I would probably feel the same Mr Jones”, That makes sense”. Remember that accepting ones emotions is crucial in creating a bond, connection. Every challenging situation is an opportunity to create a bond, from a well-handled situation, a guest will remember HOW it was solved, not the complaint itself once said Isadore Sharp, Founder & Chairman of Four Seasons. ?Including is also being respectful, and demonstrating that the guest is important to us. UNITY equals inclusion. Allow the guest the option of being part of it, unless the guest tells you that you sort it out.

T – Tailor the solution. Through understanding, navigating, including you are uniting with the guest and gathering lots of hints that lead you to tailor the best solution for the situation. Embrace special requests, preferences, deliver what the guest wants when the guest wants. Additionally, go the extra mile and add personal touches to make the guest feel truly valued – this is the game-changer. Remember that a complaint is feedback, we should be thankful even if it is not what we like to hear.

Y – You. You & the Guest TOGETHER. This is the core of U.N.I.T.Y. This is the change in your mindset. It is not you against the guest with a complaint. It is YOU & THE GUEST against the issue that caused the complaint. The whole point is that most of the guests come with a complaint frustrated as they assume that they will have to fight to have it sorted. Well, let's take a different approach and surprise the guest, UNITY disarms & soothes like a balm because your whole focus & attention is on the human being standing in front of you.

I very strongly believe that if we put more attention on demonstrating to teams how to genuinely connect with the guest, they will know what to say, when to say, which words to use, when is the time to say sorry and when is the time to say thank you. Once complaint handling will be treated as an opportunity to build a rapport with guests and create lifetime relations, training scripts won’t be as necessary. So… Do you authentically want to assist and be for the human being standing in front of you?

How do you approach the complaint handling task? Perhaps you would like to share your way? :)

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