Real-Life Communication
It's the busiest weekend of the year at the water park. The weather
is hot, the crowds are big, and as the pool manager, you're extremely busy.
Several
thousand people will come and visit the water park this weekend. That means
you have to have plenty of staff scheduled. It also means that the staff must
be capable of helping all the customers with any concerns they might have.
When the park is this busy, customer service becomes essential.
All
staff are to follow the water park's "golden rules" when it comes to customer
service. In fact, all staff members are made aware of the rules during their
job interviews and again after they're hired.
The rules include:
- If a customer has a complaint, always deal with it promptly and in a friendly
manner.
- If you can't solve the problem immediately, locate a supervisor to get
help.
- Always keep your voice calm.
- When possible, lead the customer into the customer service centre away
from the other customers.
- Be as helpful as possible and never argue with the customer.
- Remember that the customer is always right. However, try to solve the
problem fairly. In other words, find a solution that suits both the customer
and the water park.
- Safety regulations means there are rules in place that prevent the park
from having too many people in the pool at any given time.
- The water temperature in the pool is always 80 F.
- Refunds will be given out when absolutely necessary. Guest passes are
usually a better option. You need approval from your supervisor for either
of these circumstances.
As you expected, the water park is busy from the time the doors open
Saturday morning at 10 a.m. By 1:30 p.m., the park is at full capacity. You've
been monitoring the number of people in the water and on the slides. The flow
of people seems to be progressing as normal.
There are approximately
between five and 10 people in line to use the waterslides, which means less
than a five-minute wait. All in all, things are going well.
That is,
until about 2 p.m. John, one of the staff members in guest services, comes
rushing out of the customer service center to get your help. Behind him, there
is an upset customer. The guest services clerk looks frantic. But before he
can explain what the problem is, the angry customer begins yelling.
"This
water park is far too busy!" shouts the customer. "I have to wait in line
to go down the slide! And not only that, the water is freezing cold. This
staff person is trying to tell me that the water is maintained at 80 F and
I don't believe him."
You try to get a word in, but the customer cuts
you off.
"I paid good money to get in here and use the slides and there
are so many kids around, I can't enjoy myself. I want my money back!"
Finally,
the customer stops complaining and you get a chance to speak. "Why don't you
come into the office and we'll see what we can do to solve the problem," you
say.
As you smile at the customer, you gently steer him towards the
customer service center. In your mind, you start visualizing what you will
say to the customer and the response you will get.
What do you think
would be the appropriate way to handle this customer's problem? Try listing
a few different ways that you might be able to calm the customer. What would
you say? How would you act?