Overview

Customers will usually remember the things that go wrong, even if lots of things have been right! It is a well known, fact that 90% of customers will not tell a business if they are unhappy or have a problem but they will tell everyone else! Crucial to delivering GREAT customer service and critical to your business reputation is the way customer problems are handled by front facing team members.

Even better is to work towards ensuring service delivery is of the highest standard at all times. However, based on the fact we are only human, and things do go wrong, being proactive to recognise these situations and taking action before customers point it out to us, will minimise the risk of unhappy customers

This module starts with identifying the difference between a complaint and a problem as it is the complaint that usually gets the full focus of our attention, and smaller problems that are just ‘pointed out’ by customers are often ignored or brushed off but are just as important. Understanding the 4 key reasons that cause problems help to focus our responses and using the principles of the Behaviour Cycle, learners are taken through scenarios to consider the effect of negative and positive responses including identifying ‘red rag to a bull’ moments! A 7 step procedure is used to take learners through a positive approach to handle complaints and problems and how to adapt the procedure if needed. Using the procedure to refer problems on, an area notoriously fraught with bad communication, ensures customer receive seamless service. Finally, the module considers proactive responses post problems and complaints, to minimise the risk of them reoccurring.

Key benefits of this module:

• Increase confidence to handle customer complaints effectively
• Respond positively to smaller issues that customer point out
• Relate to how customers feel
• Be more aware of potential negative responses that make customers feel worse
• Identify when they need to take control of their responses
• Apply 7 steps when handling problems
• Avoid over apologising
• Listen mor careful to what customers are saying
• Ask appropriate questions
• Tell customers what action they are taking
• Check out their level of authority when offering solutions
• Offer alternative solutions if possible
• Make solutions a priority to act on
• Follow up to ensure the customer is ok
• Set up a problem log to aid long term changes that reduce the risk of problems happening again
• Refer problems seamlessly
• Identify problems that may occur in advance and take proactive action to minimise risk

Format

The course is delivered fully online and is split into five highly interactive sections. Learners will engage with games, questions and activities that use real hospitality situations to draw out an understanding and learn from case studies that reflect how companies handle problems, finishing with a quiz to ensure points are remembered and understood. The module may be completed in short sections over a period of time or all at one go!  In addition, there are links to websites and documents that can be used to research further learning.

Sections include:

• How problems are caused
• Using the behaviour cycle
• A 7 step procedure
• Refer problems
• Being proactive

Learning Objectives

• Identify why customers complain and how they might feel
• State the 7 steps  to handling problems  positively 
• Consider positive actions to solve customer problems

Accreditation

This module is accredited by the Institute of Hospitality with CPD points

Who Should Take This Course?

The module is suitable for ‘front facing’ team members, supervisors and managers working in different types of hospitality including hotels, restaurants and bars along with Conference and Event venues. Ideally the module should be part of an induction programme, but it is successfully used at any point during employment to meet a specific need to drive up standards of customer service in teams or with specific individuals.

The module will contribute to the off the job training hours for team members undertaking a Level 2 Hospitality Team member apprenticeship or a Level 2 Customer Service apprenticeship.

Test

At the end of the course, learners complete a 14-question quiz in the same style as the learning activities (drag-and-drop, single choice, multiple choice). The pass mark is 80%, with unlimited retakes available.

Post-Module Action Plan

Completing training doesn’t always mean that action and change happens! Learners can download our unique actions plans from within the module and complete a series of questions which help learners to apply the information in the module to their workplace and identify areas where they need further information or training. Managers can use the action plans to discuss with individuals or their whole team not only to organise additional information to drive customer service improvements.