About Service Recovery

About Service Recovery

10-minute trainer to refresh the learning points of the promises kept training

About Service Recovery

At IHG we aim to give the best guest service possible. However, as a service business, we can't avoid all problems, and it is inevitable that you will deal with dissatisfied guests at some time.

Handling guest complaints correctly is an incredibly important part of the overall service experience you deliver. Often, a negative experience that a guest has with your hotel can be recovered and turned into an opportunity to win them over for life. But being able to handle negative feedback in a positive way takes plenty of practice.

Poorly handled guest complaints are one of the

quickest ways you can destroy an otherwise stellar service reputation. Consider the following:

The customer complaint iceberg

For every unhappy guest that complains directly to the hotel, there are 25 unhappy guests who did not bother to complain, each of those unhappy guests tell an average of 10 people about their experience (260 people in total,) which in turn tell 5 more people what they heard (1300 people in total.) – and that is without the use of social media!!!

About Service Recovery

Good customer service not only corrects the damage, but gives your hotel a strategic advantage over your competitors. You will see that your profits will rise with longevity; the longer you keep a guest, the more they are worth to you. The better guests know and trust you, the more they are willing to buy from you, and hence the better you get to know and serve them.

About Service Recovery

By making every effort to resolve all complaints while the guest is still on property, almost every problem can be resolved. In failing to deal adequately with a disappointed guest at an initial stage, you are actually creating your own demanding guest who will be far more difficult to deal with as the problem escalates.

About Service Recovery

IHG Standards states: “Any guest complaint received by IHG will be resolved immediately* and fairly to the guest’s satisfaction.” (*prior to departure)

In other words, you should respond quickly and effectively to any guest concerns. Most guests will come back to stay with us, IF a solution is found to their problem. The quicker the solution is found the higher the return rate up to 95%.

About Service Recovery

At IHG service recovery means an opportunity to correct and build loyalty when something goes wrong during a guest stay. To help you learn effective service recovery we use a principle called ILEAD:

ILEAD

 Identify that there is a Service Recovery opportunity

 Listen effectively, trying to determine the real issue and the impact on the guest. What is their demeanour?

 Empathize. Our recovery efforts can only be successful if we know how to put ourselves in the shoes of the guest.

 Apologize. Expressing your sincere concern will be critical in effectively resolving the issue.

 Deliver the solution.

Multiple Choice

Handling negative feedback in a positive way does not require any practice.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

For every unhappy guest that complains directly to the hotel, there are 25 unhappy guests who did not bother to complain.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Good customer service gives your hotel a strategic advantage over your competitors.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

As per the IHG Standard any guest complaint received by IHG will be resolved in one week and fairly to the guest’s satisfaction.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Most guests will come back to stay with us, IF a solution is found to their problem. The quicker the solution is found the higher the return rate. Up to what percentage?

• 65%

• 95%

Multiple Choice

Service recovery means to give compensation to the guest in every case for any complaint in order to eliminate the problem.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In order to provide effective service recovery delivering the solution is the next step after identifying the problem.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Empathy means that we know how to put ourselves in the shoes of the guest.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Dissatisfied guests provide important feedback to help us improve our service.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

It is twice more expensive to acquire a new guest than it is to retain an old one.

• True

• False

Thank you