Communicating negative customer feedback
Solutions > Blame Game
As a hospitality leader, delivering negative customer feedback effectively requires tact and strategy, especially when it involves mistakes made by colleagues or other departments. It sucks to be the messenger; here are some tips to communicating negative feedback due to organizational mistakes.
Be direct without pointing the finger:
Focus on the issue, not the person. Clarify the mistake and the result.
Ex. “The website had the wrong time listed for this event.” vs. “Greg in comms didn’t fix the time.”
Keep emotions measured:
Stick to the facts, and avoid exaggerating emotions to get your point across.
Ex. “Three guests yelled at staff over the confusion.” vs. “Many visitors were screaming and everyone was angry.”
Assume positive intent:
It’s helpful to add in benefit of the doubt to soften the blow.
Ex. “I’m assuming this was an honest oversight…” vs. “How could this have happened?”
Offer systemic solutions:
Propose changes to the process vs. individual corrections.
Ex. “My suggestion moving forward is to double check the event times during our weekly events meeting.” vs. “Greg needs to fix these issues.”
Communicate to the right people:
Do your best to communicate directly to staff members that can assist in a resolve. It is never helpful to embarrass or put an individual on blast, especially in a public setting like a group meeting.
Expect push back:
Everyone has the tendency to shoot the messenger. Don’t take it personally, if your intent it to communicate fairly, consistently, and with a solutions-focused mindset; you’re in the clear.
Checking in
I took a small break! What’s been coming up over the last few weeks in your leadership journey and how can I support? Is there a time you’ve felt uncomfortable delivering negative feedback? Let’s build each other up!
