Dealing with guest recovery (or customer service recovery) in a workplace is sometimes a lost art; many businesses will give away too much or (sometimes worse) not even say sorry when they have messed up a guest or customer’s experience.
Many businesses feel that they get taken advantage of by serial complainers, but in many cases these same businesses are the ones that over and over again fail to wow their customers.
What is the right recipe for guest recovery? It starts with an apology or empathy for the situation. An apology doesn’t mean accepting total blame, but a “I’m sorry you’ve had a poor experience” sounds much better than anything else most people blurt out when a customer is disappointed.
When it comes to refunds or rebates, sometimes its just providing the customer a refund for the portion of the meal that wasn’t good. But to really wow the customer, giving them a discount on a future visit as well is what can really keep a customer happy, and more importantly, become a repeat customer.
