CASHING IN ON COMPLAINTS
Turning Disappointed Diners Into Gold

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction

Part I: UNDERSTAND GUEST ECONOMICS
 1. What is a guest worth?
 2. The value of a happy guest
 3. The cost of an unhappy guest

 4. The cost of failure
 5. Implications
 6. Regulars

Part 2: KEEP SCORE ON SERVICE
 7. The importance of score keeping
 8. Mystery shoppers
 9. Comment cards

10. Comment card design
11. Suggested comment card questions
12. The need to respond

13. Staying on top of comment cards
14. Responding to Category One cards
15. Responding to Category Two cards

16. Guest surveys
17. Improving your tableside manner
18. Statistics to keep

Part 3: HANDLE COMPLAINTS CONSTRUCTIVELY
19. The importance of complaints
20. The positive side of complaints
21. General rules for handling complaints

22. Service guarantees
23. The hassle factor
24. Fatal mistakes when handling written complaints

25. Answering written complaints
26. Two case studies
27. Answering written compliments

28. Dealing with difficult people
29. Fatal mistakes when dealing with an irate guest
30. Calming language

31. Powerful language habits
32. Answering complaints in person
33. Turning around chronic complainers

34. Yeah, but ...
35. Fix the system, not the people
36. Handling complaints with potential liability

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK:

INTRODUCTION

Nobody likes to get complaints but if you know how to mine it, there is gold in those gripes!

Unpleasant as they often are, complaints are pure feedback from your guests, telling you where your system broke down which, in turn, can show you where and how to improve your operation.

The operator who can respond positively to a complaint, who understands how to effectively deal with the disgruntled guest, who truly sees the grievance as good news rather than a personal affront, is in the best position to profit from the disappointed diner and tap this rich source of information to increase future sales.

The book has three sections:

Understand Guest Economics
Do you know what a disgruntled guest costs you in terms of lost patronage over five years? Would you be shocked to learn that it can be as much as 1000 times that guest's annual purchases? Do you think your staff has any idea how much is riding on their performance and their ability to deal with difficult people? One reason people do not look for the gold in a disappointed guest is that they do not even know it is there!

Keep Score on Service
The more closely you monitor your operation, the more likely you are to identify and solve minor irritations before they can become full-blown complaints. The better you listen, the more likely people are to tell you what you need to know to succeed and prosper.

Handle Complaints Constructively
Try as you will, you cannot win them all. But did you know a guest whose complaint is handled well is actually more loyal to you than a guest who never had a problem at all?

Most people handle complaints poorly because they have never learned what to do (and not do) when confronted with a disgruntled diner. They react defensively and they lose twice - once because they forfeit the guest's patronage forever and again because they fail to learn the lessons that the complaint could have taught them.

This book will help you gain the perspective you need to understand what your guests are really worth, the methods to keep your finger on the pulse of your operation and the skills to deal with -- and profit from -- the complaints you are sure to receive in the normal course of business.