How to handle customer complaints in hospitality

Why get good at handling complaints?

It is one of the most valued skills in hospitality. Anyone can be friendly when things go well. Staying calm, polite and in control when a customer is upset is much harder, and venues notice the people who can do it.

A venue's reputation can rest on it. One badly handled complaint can turn into a bad online review that hundreds of people read. One handled well can turn into a glowing one. Owners and managers know this, and they value staff who protect the venue's name.

Handle the hard customers with confidence. Some customers are rude, unreasonable or unruly, whatever you do. With the right skills, you know how to calm things down, set limits politely, and when to step back and get help. You stay in control instead of feeling caught out.

Grow your career. Supervisors, duty managers and venue managers deal with the complaints and the difficult customers. Show you can handle them well, and you show you are ready for that next step up.

Use it in any job with customers. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels, retail and front-of-line work all deal with complaints. The skill goes with you from job to job, and it helps in everyday life too.

Turn an unhappy customer into a regular. People remember how a venue treated them when something went wrong. Handle it well, and they often come back.

A simple way to handle a complaint

1. Listen without interrupting

Let the customer finish. Give them your full attention, keep eye contact, and nod so they know you are listening. Don't explain or defend yet.

2. Say sorry for their experience

You don't have to agree that someone did something wrong. Something like "I'm sorry your meal wasn't what you expected" shows you take it seriously.

3. Check you understand

Repeat the problem back in a sentence: "So your steak came out well done when you asked for medium?" It shows you listened, and it stops you fixing the wrong thing.

4. Fix it, or offer a fair option

If you can fix it now, do: replace the drink, re-make the meal, move the table. If it's beyond what you're allowed to offer, tell the customer what you can do and when. Don't promise something you can't deliver.

5. Get your manager when you need to

Bring in a manager or supervisor if the customer asks for one, if the fix is outside what you can offer, or if things are getting heated. Give your manager a quick summary so the customer doesn't have to start again.

6. Follow up

Check back a few minutes later: "Is the new one better?" That small step is often what the customer remembers.

7. Pass it on

Tell your team or manager what went wrong, so the same problem doesn't happen to the next table. Follow your venue's process for recording complaints.

Dealing with an angry customer

• Keep your voice low and steady. Calm is catching.
• Don't take it personally. They are upset with the situation, not with you.
• Don't argue, and don't match their tone.
• Stand at a safe distance and keep a clear path out.
• If someone becomes abusive or threatening, step away and get your manager or security straight away. Your safety comes first.

What not to do

• Don't blame the kitchen, another staff member or the customer.
• Don't make excuses before you have listened.
• Don't ignore the complaint and hope it goes away.
• Don't offer refunds or freebies your venue hasn't approved.

Want to build these skills properly?

Edway's online Customer Service course covers the SITXCCS014 Provide Service to Customers unit. You learn to greet and serve customers, work out what they need, communicate professionally and inclusively, handle complaints and difficult situations, and work as a team to deliver good service.

It is online and self-paced, so you can start as soon as you enrol and fit it around your shifts. Edway Training (RTO 91401) delivers the course.

Next step

See the Customer Service course page for the current price and to enrol.