Dealing with Difficult Hotel Customers

stevecurtin.com: From time to time, seminar participants ask me, “What’s the best way to deal with difficult customers?”

My standard answer is: “They’re only difficult if you’ve labeled them that way. I prefer the adjective 'discriminating' in place of 'difficult.'"

Consider the definitions of each:

Discriminating: noting differences or distinctions; perceptive; having excellent taste or judgment

Difficult: hard to please or satisfy

Oftentimes, when customers complain it’s because their expectations haven’t been met. This is not an indication that a person is hard to please. It’s a signal that he has noted a difference between what he originally expected and what he ultimately received.

Too often, employees go on the defense is these situations. You can see it their faces. Their smiles fade and they may fold their arms. As they begin to speak, the tone of their voice becomes a bit more serious—even condescending as they retreat to the safety of “policy” and “terms and conditions.”

Yesterday, I observed a visibly disappointed customer at Office Depot. He was upset that, in the middle of processing his order, an employee in the print center left for several minutes to assist a customer in another part of the store.

He wasn’t hard to please. He simply noted a difference between what he originally expected (timely fulfillment of his print order) and what he ultimately received (an unexpected delay without explanation).

I observe these confrontations on occasion and am always pleased when employees are willing to let the customer vent and take the time to really listen for understanding. More often than not, customers simply want to be heard and have their complaints be acknowledged and validated.

A great technique to demonstrate that you fully understood the customer’s complaint is to paraphrase (not parrot) the facts and feelings you heard while the customer vented. An apology may also be in order—whether or not you were at fault.

For example, the Office Depot supervisor could have responded to the customer with, “I apologize that you had to wait while Mark assisted another customer. It’s frustrating when there’s no communication about how long the wait will be.”

The supervisor may then choose to complete the print job personally and, perhaps, discount the order to compensate for the unexpected delay.

Upon completion, the supervisor should reinforce her earlier apology, make the customer aware of the discount applied to the order, and express appreciation for the feedback by saying something like, “My name’s Laura. I’m a supervisor and will share your experience with the entire team in order to improve our responsiveness and communication in the future.”

It’s true. Some customers are more discriminating than others. But these customers are not “difficult.” They present unique opportunities for employees to heighten their sense of urgency, attention to detail, and follow-up in the pursuit of excellence.