The goal of every spa business is to have its customers leave happy. Ideally, clients should leave feeling better than they did when they arrived. However, it is unrealistic and nearly impossible to expect to please every person that walks through your spa door. It’s normal for guests to raise concerns, make a complaint, or express dissatisfaction with their service. After all, mind and body wellness is deeply personal, and not all clients will relate completely with the practices of your business. Often, these complaints will arrive from a disparity in expectations, or a lack of communications during the service. Whatever the case may be, it is vital to the success and longevity of your business that you learn to maintain composure and handle complaints with compassion and resolve.
WORD TRAVELS FAST
Today, clients can share their review of your services, both good and bad, with the click of a button through Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other social media outlets and review sites. If not addressed properly, even one negative review can erase the impact of dozens of positive ones.
In fact, clients are more likely to share a negative experience with their peers than a positive one. The average client who leaves dissatisfied with their treatment will tell nine or 10 people about it. However, when a complaint is handled quickly and appropriately, 70 to 95 percent of those clients will return. This means that learning to deal with complaints is even more important than learning to take a compliment. If a client leaves your business unhappy, the news will surely spread.
When it comes to the second part, utilize these steps to keep staff on track and feeling confident when dealing with complaints.
STEPS TO RESOLVE THE COMPLAINT
The first step towards turning an unhappy client into an appeased client is to be open-minded. When a client raises a concern post-treatment, it is the staff member dealing with the client’s responsibility to not immediately assume the client is wrong or simply being difficult. Do not blame the client, but rather take responsibility for the client’s dissatisfaction. After all, this is the hospitality business. Whether or not the client is actually right, you’re in the business of making them feel like they are right.
In order to focus on the client and make them your first priority, bring the dissatisfied client to a quiet area where you can discuss the concern in private. This will keep other happy guests from catching the complaint bug, as well.
LISTEN CAREFULLY
This step is arguably the most important. The way the client perceives you listening to them will make or break the rest of the interaction. Hear them out; let them vent. Invite them to share and show your interest with statements like, “Please share with me what happened,” or “Please tell me why you are upset.” This helps you create a partnership between yourself and the guest. It lets them know that you are ready to listen. Do not jump to conclusions. Let them tell you their story and do not interrupt the conversation. Wait until they are completely finished before moving to the next step. Do not interrupt with follow up questions, comments, or counters. Give the guest all of your attention.
Repeat the guest’s concern so you are certain that you are addressing the right issue. Use calm, objective wording, for example, “As I understand it, you are dissatisfied with….” Repeating the problem shows the guest that you were listening, which helps to reduce stress levels. Additionally, it helps you agree on the problem that needs to be solved.
BE UNDERSTANDING
Once you fully understand their concerns, be empathetic. Make sure that your body language and voice communicate this understanding. For example, you could say, “I understand why you are upset. I would be, too. I am very sorry that you did not get the experience that you were promised.” Work on the assumption that the client walked into your spa wanting to have a great experience, not looking to make complaints. This will help you empathize with their dissatisfaction.
BE PROACTIVE
Offer the guest a solution that will address the core of their complaint. This can be done in a few ways.
1 Ask the guest, “What can I do to make it up to you?” You may find that most often they say, “Nothing, I just wanted you to know about it.” If you successfully completed steps one through four, this type of guest will usually be pleased with your attention and empathy and the issue will resolve.
2 Offer a satisfactory resolution. You and your staff should feel empowered to offer solutions on the spot, such as refunds, issuing gift cards, or offering a complimentary service at another time. If you are going to offer a resolution, try giving them a gift card to use toward a future visit. This will encourage the guest to come back, and it allows you to redeem yourself with the chance to turn them into a loyal client again. If you do issue a gift card, make sure you make a note in their records to ensure they get treated like royalty when they return!
Once the situation has been resolved, follow up on whatever you promised. Go above and beyond their expectations. For instance, you could send an unexpected gift with a hand-written apology. This will help them re-engage and form a new opinion of your business.
MOVING FORWARD
Finally, learn from the situation. Even if you feel strongly that the client’s dissatisfaction did not stem from a mistake on your staff’s part, take steps to ensure a similar misunderstanding doesn’t occur. Was there a lapse in communication? What the service not outlined correctly? Did the client perceive a member of your staff as having a bad attitude? Perception is everything to the client.
Use the complaint as a learning opportunity for further customer service training, and empower your staff to come up with helpful and compassionate solutions when complaints do arise. Retaining clients through problem resolution is key to the survival of your business. Did you know that it is five times more expensive to attract a new client than it is to keep an existing one? Use this as a motivator in coming up with your own problem resolution guidelines for happy clients for years to come!