What’s the best way to stop customer complaints?
Well, let’s be realistic. You’re never going to stop all of them. There are just too many variables.
That said, you can certainly cut down on a majority of them by one simple action.
Be proactive.
Address these types of simple, everyday issues before they become problems.
Don’t wait until you get a call from an angry guest that light bulbs are burned out, the cable isn’t working and a towel bar is half off the wall in the bathroom.
If you regularly receive phone calls such as the above, your housekeeping and maintenance staff needs to either be retrained or let go.
So, How to Start Thinking Proactively
The first thing? Stop waiting for the fire to erupt. Begin to think strategically about what could go wrong and how to address it beforehand.
Of course, there are situations that absolutely can’t be predicted. Those just have to be handled on the fly.
But those things are not what this post is about.
In order to move forward, work backwards.
After the rush is over, schedule time in your calendar to examine the summer’s maintenance and housekeeping logs. Last, but definitely not least, check guest reviews. You’re looking for common themes, such as:
House overall dirty
Bug infestation
Appliances didn’t work properly
Cable/Internet was out
Sand on the floors
Light bulbs out
Dirty air filter
Hot tub/pool water green
Linens in poor condition
House not as pictured on Internet
Stained/ripped furniture
Etc., etc, etc.
You’ve just found the elements of your “what-to-do-in-case-of” guide.
#1. Create Your “What-To-Do-In-Case-Of” Guide
List each and every possible situation that you uncovered in your research and detailed instructions on what to do, who to call and whose ultimate responsibility this item is. It may seem like overkill to provide this level of information for an incident that only occurred once in a season, but you know how it goes. If it happened once, it will happen again and probably at the most inopportune time possible.
Break it down into sections for easy reference, like “Appliances”, “Electronics”, “Floors”, “Outside”, etc.
#2. Job Descriptions
You’ll need 3: Housekeeper, Inspector, Maintenance (that’s assuming you employ dedicated maintenance staff).
The good news is you probably already have these job descriptions lurking around in a file cabinet somewhere. Get them out, dust them off and then read them.
When you’re done reading them, update them. Be absolutely positive they contain the proactive steps necessary to cut down on silly complaints, like burned out light bulbs and non-functioning appliances.
These all go in your “what-to-do-in-case-of” guide.
#3. Surround Yourself with Experience and Excellence
Hire or promote your right-arm inspector first. This will be your information funnel person, so choose very, very carefully. You must have a wildly great rapport and this must be a person of absolutely impeccable integrity. I’m not exaggerating even a little.
If you already have one and you still have to employ the guidelines in this post, he or she is not doing their job. Only you can decide how to handle that.
Sometimes, hiring competent staff is easier said than done and I totally get that. If you live in a sparsely populated resort area, you may not have a large pool to pull from. If that’s the case, look for an eager, motivated and personable applicant. You can teach the skills, you can’t teach the personality traits. And you can’t fake a good rapport.
I’m sure there’s a formula for how many housekeepers and inspectors to hire, but I don’t know what it is. I wish I could help with that all-important aspect, but all I can say is the same advice I gave for hiring your right-hand inspector. If you can’t get personality and experience, the personality is more important.
Before the season starts, conduct a couple of housekeeping and inspection trainings. First separately and then together.
First, go over the guide and the job description in detail. Make sure both your housekeepers and inspectors know exactly what their jobs are. You might even think about a test of some kind.
Maybe that sounds like overkill. But think of this. These are the people who are going to create the first impression for those guests you’ve worked so hard and spent so much money to capture. And while I don’t believe there is no such thing as loyalty anymore, I do believe that people, in general, are not nearly as forgiving as they used to be.
Next, take a field trip to a couple of houses. This will do a couple of things: a.) it will allow you to walk them around the property and do some real-world instruction/coaching and b.) it will give you the chance to judge your staff’s work ethic and see how they interact with each other. You may find either synergistic or antagonistic relationships that you need to adjust your expectations for.
#4. Have Processes and Procedures to Follow
Empower your housekeepers and inspectors by telling them in advance how to handle the most common situations.
Make sure these processes and procedures are communicated to your guests, also.
Guest shows up early and demands to be let in? Follow the policy for that.
Housekeeper finds a disaster upon tenant’s check-out and it’s a turnover. Follow the policy for that.
Housekeeper finds evidence or smoking or a pet? You get the picture…
This cuts down on panicked phone calls and provides a calmer, more manageable environment for your housekeepers and your inspectors. After all, who doesn’t feel more confident when they know what to do in advance?
#5. Checklists
For both housekeepers and inspectors. Everything you can do to make it easier for your staff pays dividends in the form of time saved and predictable work flow. In addition,
I think each housekeeper and inspector should follow the same order of tasks. This serves two purposes: first, it becomes automatic so your employees don’t become flustered (and waste time) because they don’t remember what to do next. Second, they will know much more quickly and decisively if they have left something out.
#6. Inspectors Carry Extra Everything
Every housekeeper should carry at the very least extra light bulbs, air filters, garbage bags, basic tools, paper and cleaning products, broom, dustpan and vacuum. You may require additional items, depending on your area.
Unless it’s a completely unforeseen circumstance, your inspector should not have to go back to the office or store to fetch anything. It’s a waste of time and money.
I truly believe that a strongly proactive approach is the key to handling a large percentage of your guest complaints. I hope these suggestions have given you some food for thought and I’d love to hear the outcome if you decide to put some into practice.
In the meantime, if I can help with your employee or owner guides, click here to get in touch!