Good customer service is just as important as great food and venues, and part of a great customer service is to learn how to deal with different kinds of customers effectively., because no matter how prepared you are in dealing with your small catering business problems, there will be times that you or your team will be bound to make mistakes once in a while. So, to deal with the customer complaints effectively, below are some of the top challenges with customers in a catering business and the solutions that you can employ in case of inevitable situation arises.
1. Unhappy with the chosen dish
Every catering business is exerting all their efforts to produce a best-tasting dish; however, that is not always the case. Although you and your client have pre-planned and have agreed on the dish, venue, and the theme, there is a situation that your client will turn out to be unsatisfied with the service, especially with the dish. In this situation, since it is almost impossible to change the dish, the best way to deal with it is to be empathetic, assure them that their concerns are heard, make them feel that you value their experience, and provide them a reasonable discount. Then, to avoid this situation to arise in future, make sure to list your menus and top-billed dishes using catering software for easy retrieval.
2. Late
Everyone hopes for the best, especially during an important event; thus, being late is the last thing that you hoped for, in fact, it is one of the situations that you do not wish to happen, especially if you are the host or hostess of the event. Late catering service may happen anytime due to several various reasons; it could be due to heavy traffic, food and decoration problems, kitchen malfunctions, and more. If in case you are in the middle of this situation, the best thing to do is call the host and inform your current situation and ask for apology; if the host had understood your current position and have agreed to make necessary adjustments, make sure to provide the necessary compensation or additional trinkets or food for free to ensure customer satisfaction. However, if in case it turned out bad, offer an apology and offer a reasonable discount to avoid negative feedback.
3. Receiving angry calls and emails
You can never satisfy everyone. Even if you had done all your best to do what your client had wished for, there is an uncontrollable situation that your client will not be satisfied with your catering service. If you are in a situation that you have received a nasty emails and phone calls from the host, you should sound empathetic, listen to their complaints, then if possible, offer complimentary services, provide discounts for future events, or meet half-way with the client on what they need, concerning their main business issue with you.
The catering business is not easy to manage, especially when there are 2 out 10 people who come out as an unsatisfied client. However, all of the challenges are easy to deal with, with the use of software that provides an efficient solution for your busy schedule and knowledge on how to manage the business well, which includes your customers.