To prevent bad reviews from OTAs, it is very important for hotels to do these 9 points
Dealing with customer conflict is one of the hardest things hotel employees face. If not managed properly, in-store complaints can escalate into negative reviews online.
When a guest asks a question in-store, it is giving the hotel an opportunity to correct the problem, and the way the hotel responds has a decisive impact on the outcome.
01
manage expectations
When guests come to the hotel, they have certain expectations for the quality, value and service that the hotel will provide. If their expectations are not met, conflict may arise.
Conflict prevention starts with setting realistic experience expectations.
For example: Mr. Zhang’s family came to a certain inn, and after checking in, after a while, Mr. Zhang went to the lobby with a solemn expression and asked the front desk, “What’s wrong with your guest room, it’s not that you can see the best scenery in the town. Do you? Open the window and you can’t see anything!”.
When the service staff came to the room where Mr. Zhang lived, an old tree outside the window blocked half of the window, not only could not see the scenery, but the whole room was dim. In turn, look at the introduction uploaded by the inn on the OTA: the guest room is in an excellent location, with a view of the best scenery in the town and other descriptions.
Through this example, we would like to remind everyone to ensure that the description, pictures and other information of the hotel on the OTA platform, as well as the promotional materials of other channels, are an accurate reflection of the hotel.
Be careful to avoid absolutely exaggerated descriptions such as “best value,” “ultra-luxury,” or “unparalleled service” in your promotional materials, unless you’re sure you can do it for your guests every time.
Complaints about this often come up in reviews, and it’s best to make a conservative promise and offer a little better service.
02
Understanding Emotional Triggers
In customer reviews, there are often more complaints about the way the staff handled the problem than the problem itself. An emotional trigger is when an employee’s actions and words or the situation of the hotel cause something that makes a guest angry. The more emotional the client becomes, the harder it is to reason with him.
Common emotional triggers are of these 4 types:
① Visual trigger
Visual triggers include gestures, body language, facial expressions, posture, personal image, and environment. If the waiter purses his mouth, avoids eye contact, or crosses his arms, the guest may perceive it as being cold or even aggressive.
Service personnel need to show the customer that you value and care about them by establishing eye contact, using appropriate body language, and working professionally.
② Language trigger
The words of the service staff are very likely to trigger negative emotions in the guests. Especially when you are telling the guest that he is wrong, refusing to take responsibility, citing the terms of official policy, and interrupting the guest, these are all factors that exacerbate the tension in the conflict.
In the communication with the guests, the hotel should avoid saying “you should” and “I can’t”, on the contrary, it should tell the guest what you can do for him.
③ Sound trigger
Sound triggers the emotions of guests, which are often related to the pitch, volume and speed of the service staff. Speaking too quickly can confuse or unpleasant guests, while speaking slowly or loudly can give the impression of being arrogant. Try to use a loud, confident voice and a soothing tone to speak clearly to your guests.
In face-to-face interactions, visual and sound cues often play a dominant role. On the phone, you have to rely on words and sounds to convey meaning. In instant messaging tools and emails, you can only communicate through words, so the choice of words and even emojis is particularly important.
④ Environmental trigger
Guests may be angry and dissatisfied due to the special situation in the hotel. Suddenly being woken up by a knock on the door by the service staff in the morning, the noise of the hotel KTV at night, and the employees in the hotel not wearing masks during the epidemic period will all become the fuse of the negative emotions of the guests.
03
keep a positive attitude
Hotel staff also have emotional moments, and if a customer says something offensive or inauthentic, you may become annoyed and less willing to help them. As service professionals, we strive to control our emotional triggers. Remind yourself that your job is to make your customers happy, which may mean putting your own feelings aside at some point.
Attitude is the key. Instead of being afraid to deal with an angry client, try to challenge the situation and tell yourself: I can handle this, and I’ll make this client change her attitude.
Even the most angry customer, a positive attitude and excellent service can effectively help you to appease your customer.
04
Understand what dissatisfied customers want
Most guests are reasonable, they don’t expect a perfect hotel, and they know there will be some flaws. When complaining or expressing dissatisfaction, the appeal is also very simple, they want: empathy
Think from the customer’s point of view. Traveling can be very tiring and stressful, you need to express your understanding and empathy to your guests, so that they can rest assured and trust you that they can get help from you.
Don’t deprive them of the right to vent their feelings, give your guests full attention, listen carefully and ask questions to clarify the situation.
05
sincerely apologize
Sometimes a sincere apology is enough to appease an angry customer. When people feel wronged, they may just want you to take his word for it and admit that you were wrong. It might not be your fault, but you can’t stop apologizing to them.
06
Quick fix
The longer it takes the service staff to resolve the problem, the more dissatisfied the guest may be. That feeling of being treated unfairly increases when guests run back and forth and repeat their questions to different people.
Don’t take it for granted that all the complaining guests want compensation, don’t give a solution that may not be suitable for the guests, but try to provide several solutions, let the guests choose, and try to find the one that both parties are satisfied with. result.
07
follow up
Remember to track the outcome of event handling and be sure not to make unfulfilled promises. Follow-up calls from management, messages sent to guests’ rooms, and polite greetings will make guests feel that you value and care.
At the same time, it is necessary to record the details in the customer data, communicate the information to colleagues in a timely manner, and take necessary measures to ensure that the problem does not occur again.
08
Support, train and empower employees
Hotel management needs to provide front-line grassroots staff with the support, training and empowerment to solve problems quickly and efficiently. Employees are more confident in taking action when they know what level of reassurance they can use to quell a guest’s dissatisfaction and know that management will support their decision.
If the guest’s request is unreasonable, the cost of meeting his request and the risk of not meeting his request can be weighed, and a compromise can be suggested.
For example, an employee could say, “I don’t have the authority to give your room free, but as a sign of our apologies, we can offer a 25% discount, so are you satisfied?”
If the employee does not have the authority to offer compensation, then say it will discuss it with the manager and tell the guest when there will be a response. If a guest threatens not to accept an unreasonable request and leaves a bad review, use your usual politeness and professionalism to handle the situation and work to find a solution.
09
Carry out an atmosphere check
Don’t wait until the guest leaves to ask how the guest’s experience was during their stay, when it may be too late to fix the problem, but during the guest’s stay, conduct an ambience check.
Ask guests open-ended questions like “How has your stay been so far?” Watch out for signs of a problem, and follow up to make sure guests don’t leave unhappy.
By showing genuine care and going the extra mile to get disgruntled guests to change their minds, you’ll not only prevent negative reviews, but potentially even generate positive ones.
With professional handling, disgruntled guests can become your biggest advocates. Set your goals and turn “We had a problem” into “The staff was great, solved our problem, and we’ll definitely be back.”