Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to handle the situation and even turn the complaint
to positive advantage. Handled correctly, complaints
can be thought of as another type of feedback from
customers that gives the organisation a second chance
to put things right and satisfy the customer.
•
Don't justify the circumstances that led up to the
complaint and go on the defensive;
•
Ask questions if you are not clear on any points of
the customer's complaint;
•
Find a solution to the problem (by consulting other
staff if necessary);
FOCUS ON INDUSTRY
•
Agree the solution with the customer;
•
Follow up to make sure that what you promised has
BEST WESTERN HOTELS
been done;
The Best Western Hotel Consortium has more than
270 member hotels in the UK and over 4,000 hotels
in 80 countries worldwide, making it the world's
largest hotel chain. Best Western stresses to its
customer service staff the importance of dealing
with complaints successfully. People who complain
can become a hotel's best friend!
•
In future, try and anticipate complaints before they
happen!
Selling skills
Selling products and services is vital to the success
of a wide range of travel and tourism organisations,
from hotels and travel agencies to airlines and tourist
attractions. Even staff who are not employed as sales
people come into contact with selling when they
themselves are customers, expecting the highest levels
of customer service, courtesy and attention when
making their purchases.
'It is the goal of the customer service department to
turn every complainant into an ambassador for Best
Western by providing an effective and professional
service to customer complaints and enquiries'.
Weblink
Check out these websites for information
on Best Western in the UK and worldwide.
www.bestwestern.co.uk;
www.bestwestern.com
Successful selling is a structured activity, not just
'something that happens'. Figure 4.3 shows the seven
key stages of the sales process in travel and tourism.
The following sections of this unit look in detail at each
of these key stages.
The key actions to take when dealing effectively with
complaints are:
Building rapport
•
Listen attentively so that you get the whole story
fi rst time;
The broad nature of the travel and tourism sector
means that there are a wide range of customers, of all
ages and social backgrounds, with varying budgets.
It is important that sales staff are sympathetic to the
specifi c needs of different customers and respectful
of their wishes. Being a very wide-ranging sector also
means that the actual setting where the selling takes
place will differ from one industry to another. Selling
may, for example, take place:
•
Thank the customer for bringing the problem to
your attention;
•
Apologise in general terms for the inconvenience
but do not grovel;
•
Provide support for the customer by saying that the
complaint will be fully investigated and matters put
right as soon as possible;
•
Sympathise with the customer and try to see the
•
In a shop - e.g. when buying travel goods before a
situation from their point of view;
holiday or short break;
