Guest Relations, Complaints, Front Office Operations, BHMCT Notes, IHM Notes

Guest Relations, Complaints, Front Office Operations, BHMCT, IHM, Notes

Guest Relations
Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh

Guest Relations and Handling Complaints, Guest Relations, Handling Complaints, BHMCT Notes, IHM Notes, Guest Relations, Identifying Complaints, Handling Complaints, Front Office, Operations, Follow-Up Procedures

Guest Relations

Despite front office staff efficiency and alternativeness, guests will occasionally be disappointed or find fault with something or someone at the hotel. The front office should anticipate guest complaints and devise strategies that help staff members effectively resolve the situation.

The high visibility of the front office means that front desk agents are frequently the first to learn of guest complaints. Front desk agents should be especially attentive to guests with complaints and seek a timely and satisfactory resolution to the problem. Nothing annoys guests more than having their complaints ignored, discounted, or overlooked. While most front office staff members do not enjoy receiving complaints, they should understand that very few guests actually enjoy receiving complaints, they should understand that very few guests actually enjoy complaining. Employees should also realize that guests who do not have the opportunity to complain to front office staff often tell their friends, relatives, and business associates instead. Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh

When guests find it easy to express their opinions, both the hotel and the guests benefit. The hotel learns of potential or actual problems and has the opportunity to resolve them. For a guest, this can mean a more satisfying stay. When problems are quickly resolved, a guest often feels that the hotel cares about his or her needs. From this perspective, every complaint should be welcomed as an opportunity to enhance guest relations. On the other hand, guests who leave a hotel dissatisfied may never return. A popular axiom in the lodging business is that it takes $10 to attract a guest for the first time, but only $1 to keep the guest coming back. By handling guest relations positively, the investment pays off many times.

Complaints

Guest complaints can be separated into four categories of problems: mechanical, attitudinal, service-related, and unusual.

Most guest complaints relate to hotel equipment malfunctions. Mechanical complaints usually concern problems with climate control, lighting, electricity, room furnishings, ice machines, vending machines, door keys, plumbing, television sets, elevators; and so on even an excellent preventive maintenance program cannot completely eliminate all potential equipment problems. Effective use of a front office log book and maintenance work orders may help reduce the frequency of mechanical complaints. Sometimes, the complaint is not about the mechanical problem, but the speed of response. It is essential, therefore, that the appropriate staff member be dispatched as quickly as possible with the proper tools to fix the problem promptly. Good tracking methods will ensure timely service.

Guests may make attitudinal complaints when they feel they have been poorly treated by hotel staff members. Guests who overhear staff conversations or who receive complaints from hotel staff members may also express attitudinal complaints. Guests should not have to listen to employees arguing or become sounding boards for employee problems. Managers and supervisors (not guests) should listen and attend to the complaints and problems of staff members. This can be especially critical to maintaining solid guest relations.

Guests may make service-related complaints when they experience a problem with hotel service. Service-related complaints can be wide-ranging and about such things as long waiting time for service, lack of assistance with luggage, untidy rooms, phone difficulties, missed wake-up calls, cold or ill-prepared food, or ignored requests for additional supplies. The front office generally receives more service-related complaints when the hotel is operating at or near full occupancy.

Guests may also complain about the absence of a swimming pool, lack of public transportation, bad weather, and so on. Hotels generally have little or no control over the circumstances surrounding unusual complaints. Nonetheless, guests sometimes expect the front office to resolve or at least listen to such complaints. Front office managers should alert front desk agents that there will be times when guests will complain about things that the staff can do nothing about. Through such orientation, staff members will be better prepared to handle unusual complaints with appropriate guest-relations techniques and avoid a potentially difficult encounter.

Identifying Complaints. All guest complaints deserve attention. An excited guest complaining loudly at the front desk requires immediate attention. A guest making a more discreet comment deserves no less attention, although the need for action may be less immediate. Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh

Guest relations stand to improve when the front office systematically identifies its most frequent guest complaints. By reviewing a properly kept front office transaction file or log book, management can often identify and address recurring complaints and problems. Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh

Another way to identify complaints involves the evaluation of guest comment cards or questionnaires. Exhibits 3, 4 and 5 demonstrate the level of detail and sophistication that can be expected of a thorough analysis of guest responses to well-designed comment cards. Exhibit 3, Guest Perception Details,” groups comment card questions by specific hotel departments (in this exhibit, the bellman / valet department and the front desk department are shown). Within each department, the specific questions asked of guests are listed, with their individual responses tabulated. Current month, last month, and year-to-date favorability rating percentages are shown for purposes of comparison. Exhibit 4, “Guest Perception Graph,” shows the overall favorability ratings of all hotel departments, in descending order for ease of comparison. The overall hotel average (“Overall Perceptions”) is also shown on the graph. Departments falling below the overall average generally signal areas that need to be improved. Exhibit 5, “favorability Trending Graphs,” depicts the overall rating trend for all questions asked about specific departments. This exhibit shows the trend graphs for the bellman / valet, front desk, and housekeeping departments. Trend graphs not only help identify areas that need improvement, but help measure the success of current and future improvement efforts.

Identifying problems is one of the first steps in taking corrective action. By examining the number and type of complaints received, front office management may gain insight into common and less-common problems. Front office staff members may be better equipped to handle frequent complaints courteously and effectively, especially if they are aware the problem may not be immediately corrected. Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh

Handling Complaints. It is usually counterproductive to ignore a guest complaint. In many hotels, front desk agents are instructed to refer complaints to supervisors or managers. But sometimes, front desk agents may not be able to pass the complaint on, especially when the complaint demands immediate attention. The front office should have contingency plans in place, and front desk agents should be empowered to deal with such situations.

The front office may receive complaints about the hotel’s food and beverage operations, regardless of whether those operations are managed by the hotel. Unless the front office and the food and beverage operators establish procedures for passing on and dealing with complaints, guests may continue to be upset and the front office will continue to hear about the problem. The hotel and its revenue outlets should maintain close communications and develop procedures designed to satisfactorily resolve guest complaints.

Front office management and staff should keep the following resolution guidelines in mind when handling guest complaints:

When expressing a complaint, the guest may be quite angry. Front office staff members should not go alone to a guestroom to investigate a problem or otherwise risk potential danger.
Front office staff members should not make promises that exceed their authority or the ability of the hotel to deliver.

Exhibit 6 Guidelines for Handling complaints

Listen with concern and empathy.
isolate the guest if possible, so that other guests won’t overhear.
Stay calm. Avoid responding with hostility or defensiveness. Don’t argue with the guest. Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh
Be aware of the guest’s self-esteem. Show a personal interest in the problem. Use the guest’s name frequently. Take the complaint seriously.
Give the guest your undivided attention, Concentrate on the problem, not on placing blame. Do NOT insult the guest.
Take notes. Writing down the key facts saves time if someone else must get involved. Also, guests will tend to slow down when they are speaking faster than you can write. More important, the fact that a front office staff member is concerned enough to write down what they’re saying is reassuring to guests.
Tell the guest what can be done. Offer choices. Don’t promise the impossible, and don’t exceed your authority.
Set an approximate time for completion of corrective actions. Be specific, but do not underestimate the amount of time it will take to resolve the problem.
Monitor the progress of the corrective action.
Follow up. Even if the complaint was resolved by someone else, contact the guest to ensure that the problem was resolved satisfactorily. Report the entire event, the actions taken, and the conclusion of the incident.

If a problem cannot be solved, front office staff should admit this to the guest early on. Honestly is the best policy when dealing with guest complaints.
Front desk agents should be advised that some guests complain as part of their nature. The front office should develop an approach for dealing with such guest. Astro Motive Astrology by Astrologer Dr. C K Singh

Exhibit 6 lists guidelines for handling guest complaints in a professional manner. Learning to deal effectively with guest complaints requires experience. Front office staff members should anticipate how they might resolve some of the hotel’s most common complaints. Role playing can be an effective method for learning how to deal with guest complaints. By anticipating complaints, planning and practicing responses, and receiving constructive feedback, front office staff members will be better prepared to deal with actual guest complaints.

Follow-Up Procedures. Front office management may use the front office transaction file or log book to initiate corrective action, verify that guest complaints have been resolved, and identify recurring problems. This comprehensive written record helps management contact guests who express dissatisfaction with some aspect of their stay during check-out. After the guest has departed, a letter from the front office manager expressing regret about the guest’s unsatisfactory experience is usually sufficient to promote goodwill and demonstrate concern for the guest. It may be good policy for the front office manager to telephone a departed guest to get a more complete description of the problem or incident that caused the dissatisfaction. Chain hotels may also receive guest complaints channeled through chain headquarters. Cumulative records of guest complaints about hotels in the chain may be compiled and sent to each manager. This method of feedback allows the chain’s corporate headquarters to evaluate and compare each hotel’s guest relations performance. Hotels that have a consistent record of guest complaints may receive visits from chain managers to resolve the issues.