With an increasing number of apps like Yelp, Yellow Pages and other review sites, guest service has lost any context for face to face transactions, and has more and more become a “spectator sport”.
When guests are unsatisfied, it’s no longer a private matter. Outsiders are now witnesses to what once could have been a private matter, but now posted up across apps and other online mediums for all to see.
The transparency of the increasing online world provides both a challenge and an opportunity for restaurants alike.
To embrace the change implement these four guest service habits:
Habit: Follow up with all complaints.
Good or bad, get to replying on all online review mediums. Every restaurant must commit to answering diner complaints wherever they appear, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, TripAdvisor other local review sites, discussion boards, and even new chat-based tools like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Your guests are selling your brand, so make sure you thank them! Plus, for the reviews that are less than singing your praise, offering an apology and a bonus for giving your place another try… this will speak volumes to all the outsiders reading along.
Habit: Reply to all complaints and feedback quickly.
Did you know, 40 percent of consumers who complain on social media expect a response within one hour, according to Hug Your Haters data.
The guests who keep your business afloat want to hear from you! For many business owners, this may require assigning an online community manager to not only market your business, but to follow up with all comments and reviews left in a timely manner.
Habit: Keep it positive, Polly.
Let’s say, someone just blasted on your world renown menu items via social media… sure it might not seem fair for all onlookers to see such terrible feedback about the menu you’ve worked endlessly to perfect, but it’s their right.
Some will love what you offer and others will be haters. Here’s the bottom line, no matter how ugly, harsh and sometimes downright ridiculous these guest reviews may be, keep positive. Don’t take the criticism personally… acknowledge it and move on.
Habit: Know who complains.
Women complain about restaurants 62 percent more than do men, and women complain about restaurants more than about any other type of business, according to research fom Hug Your Haters.
Whether they are good, bad or crazy, the vast majority-95 percent-unhappy guests will never complain in a way the restaurant can find it. They may say something privately to their friends, but they won’t “raise their hand.” Take it from the facts, this means that the guests who do take the time to complain are doing restaurants an enormous favor by pointing out how the business can improve.
Embrace the feedback, make changes for the better and keep on!
