Work with customers and colleagues

4. Respond to conflicts and customer complaints

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this chapter you will be able to;

Recognise potential and existing causes of conflict in the workplace

Respond to conflict situations handle conflict to the customer’s

satisfaction

Respond to conflicts• What is conflict?

Conflict in the workplace is any situation where disagreement occurs between two or more individuals.

The disagreement usually flows from a misunderstanding about expectations and needs

Conflicts in a workplace can occur between colleagues, staff and customers, and staff and management

What is important is that conflict must be identified before it can be solved

Conflict situationsMay relate to:– customer complaints– conflict among work colleagues– refused entry– drug or alcohol-affected persons– ejection from premises– problems or faults with a service or product– delays or poor timing of product or service supply– misunderstandings or communication barriers– difficult or demanding customers– customers with different or special needs or expectations.

Causes of conflict

• Different expectations• Communication barriers• Motivation factors: each of us is motivated in

different ways. These differences may cause conflicts in the workplace

• Cultural values: e.g. Cultural values influence work ethics, how we respond to people from other cultures and how we deal with authority

Causes of conflict cont....

• Personality• Safety and security issues• Organisational structure• Organisational change• Of course there are numerous other potential

causes of conflict, such as our attitude, stress level, experience, training, skill level etc

CONFLICT IS A NORMAL PART OF INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMANS.

SOLUTIONS TO CONFLICT CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND IF BOTH PARTIES ARE WILLING

Recognising potential conflict situations

• This is the necessary first step to managing it• Most likely cause of a conflict is differences in

expectations Identifying expectations of customers, colleagues, our employer and identifying

how we fail to meet those expectations and identifying how does our body language and what we say cause conflicts, will help us to

manage conflict situations

Customer expectations

• Our customers have multiple expectations from us. Give examples for few such expectations

Our customers expect us to:

• Be able to do our job• Do our job efficiently• Be professional in dealing with them• Solve their problems

Just remember that customers are just like us; they have feelings, opinions that require consideration whether we agree or not.

Colleague expectations• Whether we consider it reasonable or not,

colleagues have expectations from each other• Expect us to:– Have similar work related goals– Do our job well– Be reliable– Pull our weight – Meet customer expectations– Meet the expectations of the organisation

Organisational expectations• Mainly maintain standards of service to meet

customer expectations in order to reduce likelihood of conflict between the organisation and its customers

• Have good interpersonal skills• Be motivated• Be reliable and consistent in performing tasks• Be professional (in attitudes and personal

presentation)

Recognising potential conflict situations through Body language

• Interpreting body language can alert us to potential conflict providing us an opportunity to address the problem before it escalates

• those signals may include:– Tapping finger or feet– A frown– Arms crossed– Poor eye contact– Aggressive actions like finger pointing– Shaking of the head, eyes closed

Recognising potential conflict situations through Body spoken words

• Our verbal and non verbal communication may cause conflicts

• Conversely, what a person is saying and how they are saying it to us can clearly indicate potential conflict.

For example: the pitch of the voice may rising, the

speed of the speech may increase, The tone of voice may be sarcastic,

Resolve conflict situations1. Take responsibility for finding a solution to

the conflict within scope of individual responsibility.

2. Deal with conflict sensitively, courteously and discreetly

3. take steps to minimise impact on other colleagues and customers.

4. Use effective communication skills to assist in management of the conflict.

Resolve conflict situations cont....

• Communication skills include:– listening and active listening– questioning techniques, such as asking the right

question to elicit the other parties' needs– asking questions to gain information, clarify

ambiguities and adequately understand requirements– rephrasing and repeating questions, requests and

statements to confirm that they have been correctly understood

Resolve conflict situations cont....

• Communication skills include: cont...

– empathising with the colleague or customer's situation while upholding organisation policy

– Assertiveness– non-verbal communication and recognition of

non-verbal signs– ability to speak clearly to be understood and use

appropriate language, style and tone.

Resolve conflict situations cont....

5. Encourage all points of view, acknowledge them and treat them with respect.

6. Establish and agree on the nature and details of the conflict with all parties and assess the impact of the situation on them.

7. Determine possible options to resolve the conflict and promptly analyse and decide on the best solution in agreement with all parties, taking into account any organisation constraints .

Resolve conflict situations cont....

• Organisation constraints may include:

– costs and budgets– organisation policy on refunds or exchange– lack of availability of replacement items, services

or tickets.

Resolve conflict situations cont....

8. Use accepted conflict resolution techniques to manage the conflict situation and develop solutions. • Conflict resolution techniques include problem-

solving, negotiation and use of appropriate communication skills.

9. Complete any necessary documentation accurately and legibly within time constraints.

Respond to customer complaints

Respond to customer complaints

• Occasionally guests have cause for complaints. Sometimes it is our fault,

sometimes it is not, but as front line staff, it is more likely we will be the ones to whom a

customer expresses dissatisfaction and therefore it is up to us to manage it.

• Most customer complaints relate to problems with the service, problems with the products

or communication barriers.• Most of them are easily remedied.

Customer complaints

• Most people have an eagerness to complaint about disappointments with their friends,

colleagues but reluctant to express this to the organization.

• This means they go away disappointed; we lose a customer without ever knowing why or getting the chance to find out what was wrong

or to fix it

Customer complaints may relate to:

• problems with the service, such as delays or wrong orders• problems with the product• communication barriers or

misunderstandings.

Know the benefits of complaints

Too often, establishments that have experienced customer complaints view that customer as difficult, expecting too much or

hard to please. This is particularly true of organizations which view complaints not as a

way of reflecting on business practices and improving services, but as problems of the

customers’ making or as conflict which they would rather avoid.

Getting the maximum benefits from complaints

• It is important to recognise that complaints are usually constructive criticism that indicate

room for improvement and are a reminder that we can continue to improve.

• Complaints reveals weaknesses in the standards of the operation and give the

enterprise a chance to retain a customer they may otherwise have lost

Getting the maximum benefits from complaints cont....

• Complaints are also a way for us to develop our own interpersonal skills

• Not all the customers are going to complain politely, and some won’t complain at all, but a

few signs can indicate something wrong. • If that happens, we can indicate our concern by enquiring if everything is all right. This gives

the customer opportunity to express their dissatisfaction and for us to fix the situation.

Turning complaints in to an opportunity

• Complaints are an opportunity for the organisation to make improvement to the current practice

• This is only true if we take the complaint seriously and handle the complaint properly

Turning complaints in to an opportunity cont....• By following the complaint handling strategy, being

aware that each of our customer is different, developing our interpersonal skills, managing conflict with win-win in mind, complaints will give the organisation the opportunity to:– Reassure the customer that it is a professional

operation and has a high standard of customer service

– Convince the customer that they are important to the organisation

– Persuade the customer to return– Highlight the ability of its staff– Create positive moments of truth

Responding to customer dissatisfaction

• In all situations, remaining calm, sensitive to the other person’s concerns, polite, cooperative and positive is likely to result in a satisfactory outcome.

• Customers will complain in a number of ways:– As soon as the problem arises– After they have left– To another part of the organization– Aggressively or presently:

Most complaints are directed at the most visible or nearest representative of the organisation

Complaining as soon as the problem arises

• Advice about their unhappiness as soon as the problem arises

• In this case the organisation get opportunity to fix the problem immediately

After they have left• It is a useful way of avoiding confrontation• For many people, it is also a useful way to

express their disappointment about something while not considering it fatal to their relationship with the organization

• Organizations should use this opportunity to investigate the complaint and thank the customer for bringing it to their attention

To another part of the organization• As we already seen, many customers prefer to

complain to someone else other than those who caused the problem.

• If there is a problem with the standard of cleanliness in the bathroom why tell the concierge and blame them?

• Apart from wanting to avoid direct confrontation with the person who can actually fix the problem, the customer has often formed a comfortable relationship with other staff.

To another part of the organization cont....

• The other staff members may have handled other queries, for customer and handled them satisfactorily and this rapport may not exist with other staff.

• It may also be that the customer is not actually looking for a resolution but simply wants the problem acknowledged and an apology.

What does the customer expect?• A minor problem or a major problem, can be

expressed aggressively or presently. • Whether we think the problem is minor or

major is irrelevant. Whether we think the attitude and behaviour of the customer is rude, aggressive or inappropriate is also irrelevant.

• What the customer really wants is for us to take them seriously, fix the problem promptly and respond courteously.

Complaint Handling Strategy• What ever the complaint is about, it should be

managed within a standard framework that will ensure no steps in the process are omitted.

• Whether the complaint is the result of a simple error (by us or a colleague) or a more serious event, we should focus on a solution that satisfies the customer.

• Most of us will develop our own style for handling complaints, but we should not ignore any of the steps that ensure successful outcomes.

Steps of a successful complaint handling procedure

• Listen to the customer and acknowledge the problem

• Express concern and empathise• Take responsibility for resolving the complaint• Indicate what action will be taken• Take action to resolve the complaint• Follow up to ensure customer satisfaction

Listen and acknowledge

• People make complaints about all sorts of things. – Some of these things are easy to fix (e.g. A

misspelt name on a guest reservation)– Some are complicated ( tell that they believe

someone has open their luggage– Some seems unimportant– Some complaints require immediate action and

incur a cost to the organisation

Listen and acknowledge cont...

• Always allow the customer time to explain the problem, without interruption, and then acknowledge the problem

• It is important to find out the exact nature of the problem and all the related details

• Take the problem seriously. Ignoring it won’t make it go away but will compound it

Listen and acknowledge cont...• Don’t take it personally– It’s not uncommon for customers to blame us for

their problem even when it has nothing directly to do with us.

– We are the face of the establishment, – and as far as the customer is concerned their

problem is our problem. – Don’t get upset or defensive when the customer is

accusing us for sabotaging their romantic weekend away.

– Remain calm, attentive and focused

Express concern and empathy• Our concern must be sincere and appropriate

to the complaintFor example, if a customer tells us that their reservation has not yet been sent with the correct spelling, they don’t expect us to behave as though it’s the end of the world. They just want us to fix it ‘now’.If a customer has told us their luggage has been tampered with, we need to express concern for their wellbeing and empathise with their discomfort

Take responsibility• Even though we didn’t cause the problem, we

must take responsibility for it occurring.• Immediately and sincerely apologise on behalf

of the organization for the customer’s unhappiness.

• We should not blame someone or something for the complaint

• It is appropriate to let the customer know that we take responsibility for the issue, even if there is nothing we can do to fix the problem except refer the matter on to our supervisor

Indicate what action will be taken• The action we take will naturally depend on the

nature of the incident• Fix it ourselves– This depends on the extent of our authority in the

organisation. – If the matter is simple, we let the customer know we

will fix it immediately– Where legal or financial concerns are involved, it is

common to refer the matter on to the supervisor– If we constantly receive complaints of similar nature,

e.g. Experiencing difficulty with a particular staff member or a department, you may refer the matter on to the supervisor

Take action• Now we have indicated what we are going to

do, we should do it!• If we need to call the supervisor, call the

supervisor• If we need to contact another part of the

organisation, call them• If we say ‘I’ll look in to that for you’, the

customer is not likely to be satisfied, he wants you to act now, not later.

Follow up• A complaint doesn’t go away just because we

have listened, empathised and apologised.• Make sure that, what we said would be done

has been done• Even if someone else is going to fix the problem,

customer expects us to follow up.• This may with the other department, with the

supervisor (ask how the complaint was resolved) or with customer (ask if everything is ok, giving them opportunity to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction)

Record the incident

Record the incident according to the nature of

the complaint, and the policy of the organization

Now you could be able to:• Identify potential and existing conflicts and seek

solutions in conjunction with parties involved.• Recognise customer dissatisfaction promptly and take

action to resolve the situation according to individual level of responsibility and organisation procedures.

• Respond to customer complaints positively, sensitively and politely and in consultation with the customer.

• Refer escalated complaints to the appropriate person according to individual level of responsibility and organisation policy and procedures.

• Maintain a positive and cooperative manner at all times.

• Take responsibility for finding a solution to the conflict within scope of individual responsibility.

• Deal with conflict sensitively, courteously and discreetly and take steps to minimise impact on other colleagues and customers.

• Use effective communication skills to assist in management of the conflict.

• Encourage all points of view, acknowledge them and treat them with respect.

• Establish and agree on the nature and details of the conflict with all parties and assess the impact of the situation on them.

• Determine possible options to resolve the conflict and promptly analyse and decide on the best solution in agreement with all parties, taking into account any organisation constraints .

• Use accepted conflict resolution techniques to manage the conflict situation and develop solutions.

• Complete any necessary documentation accurately and legibly within time constraints.

Source: Road to Hospitality - book published in Australia