Service Recovery: Case Study on Complaint Resolution Techniques

This case study analysis focuses on addressing a service issue at a hotel, specifically a wedding reception where a planned salmon dish is unavailable due to a bad batch. The solution involves informing customers, offering alternative dishes like tuna, and proactively compensating for the inconvenience. The analysis details how to handle customer complaints sensitively, establish the nature of the complaint, assess its impact, and utilize communication techniques to manage dissatisfaction. It also explores turning complaints into opportunities for service improvement, providing internal feedback, and evaluating solutions for future issues. The study further discusses promotional services to encourage repeat business, maintaining customer profiles, and tailoring services based on customer needs. The ultimate goal is to enhance customer service and prevent future escalations by addressing concerns and implementing necessary changes in service delivery, with Desklib offering additional resources for students.

Running head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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What action will you take in regards to?
Identification of the seriousness of the problem
There was the wedding reception booked in the hotel for the next Saturday. But the problem
took place; the chief has advised that the salmon dish will not be available as the bad batch of
the salmon fish causes food poisoning. This was one of the major problems, the full
arrangement of the dishes are needed to be changed within a short period of time.
Updating the customers
The management has updated the customers that there will be a change in the dishes on the
wedding day. They were updated that the bad batch of salmon fish can cause food poisoning
so the salmon dishes will be unavailable and the best replacement of the salmon dishes will be
made by our hotel (Lee, Wang & Trappey, 2015).
Advising of alternative products
The manager has assured the customers that the replacement of the salmon fish with the tuna
fish will be great for the occasion. Our manager also conveyed that the chief has assured that
he will make the authentic dishes of the tuna fish.
Proactively seek ways to compensate for the service difficulty
For the change in the arrangement of the dishes the manager have assured that there will be no
issue in the new arrangement, if any problem arises regarding the new issue then, the hotel
authority will compensate. Moreover, the chief has offered the extra authentic item for that day

2CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
in the free of cost as the hotel is not being able to provide the desired dishes of the customers
for compensating, this has been offered to the customers (Lee, Wang & Trappey, 2015).
Detail how you will resolve their complaint by addressing the following:
How would you establish the nature of the complaint?
I will first listen to the complaint and make note of the complaint, the complaint has been
made regarding the replacement dish and the service provided during the wedding reception.
This complaint is one of the serious complaints, thus I need to justify this issue.
How would you assess the impact on the customer?
I will ask for the review from the customer regarding every dishes provided during the
occasion and the reasons behind their dissatisfaction. I will also ask every individual to
suggest what improvement can be brought in the services provided.
List three (3) communication techniques to assist with the management of the complaint.
The three best communication techniques the hotel manager will assist in managing the
complaint are:
 The manager will listen intently to the customer, without interrupting them and letting
them narrate their stories. They should feel that they have been heard by the
organization.
 The manager needs to thank the customers for bringing up their problems to their
attention.

3CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
 The manager needs to sincerely convey to their apology to the customers for the way
the situation has made them feel and to offer the best solution for their issues (Faed et
al., 2016).
How would you handle the situation sensitively, courteously and discreetly?
I will try to understand the customers’ views and what made them dissatisfied, then I will also
make them understand that is it is one of our natures to dislike every attempt of the other
person when desired things are not done. I will apologize for not being able to serve them as
per their desired wish. I will ask for the solution with which we could make them happy (Faed
et al., 2016).
What would you suggest is the best solution to this complaint?
The best solution will be identifying the desired changes that are needed to be brought on our
hotel services and assuring them to offer the desired services if they allow us to serve for the
next time on any occasion. They will be given a certain discount offer on their next bookings
and the certain amount of their money will be given back as the compensation for this time.
How could you prevent escalation of this complaint?
The accessing of the complaint once made by the customers, the changes are required to be
done as per their desired wishes, then only the hotel will be able to prevent the escalation
further for this complaint and the compensation might save the hotel authority from getting

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escalated by the customers (Lee, Wang & Trappey, 2015).
How could this complaint be turned into an opportunity to demonstrate high-quality
customer service?
The complaint identifies the faulty products and services; it challenges the status quo and tests
the internal system and processes. This helps to rectify and recover accordingly for preventing
escalations (Faed et al., 2016).
How will you provide internal feedback on service issues and complaints?
The internal feedback will be provided to the customers by reviewing their stories and
apologizing through emails, media or other and by also compensating them the internal
feedback should be given to their customers (Lee, Wang & Trappey, 2015).
How will you evaluate complaints and solutions to enhance response to future issues?
The complaint creates a positive effect on our hotel as we are able to rectify our services as per
the customer wishes and this rectification will make our hotel as one of the best service
providers. The complaints will be evaluated by the survey and the communication techniques
and rectification will be done accordingly (Faed et al., 2016).
Why might complaints have to be referred to a higher level staff member?
The complaint needs to be referred to the higher level staff members as the severe problems of
the customers are need to be known to the higher level staffs as they are the only ones who are

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able to bring the changes accordingly by investing and making the changes in the operation
process (Lee, Wang & Trappey, 2015).
What promotional services could be offered to promote repeat business?
The promotional services that could be offered for promotion the repeat business are starting
the loyalty program for encouraging the repeat business, offering the personalized customer
services, giving out the future use coupons, getting the contact information of the customers
those who walked through the business doors and offering some freebies (Lee, Wang &
Trappey, 2015).
What would you maintain on a customer profile?
The ideal customer profile should consist of three factors that are;
 The proper definition of the business should be there in the customer profile
 Proper definition and understandings should be there on the target market and the
buyer personas.
 Prioritizing the target markets should be reflected in the profile (Faed et al., 2016).
How would you tailor products and services based on customer profile?
The proper details regarding the size of the company whether it is a good fit or not for the
products, the industry verticals, locations are ideal or not and that there has been mostly
searched for, all are need to be find out. The target market’s desired changes in the services
and products are needed to bring based on the customer profile (Lee, Wang & Trappey, 2015).

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References
Faed, A., Chang, E., Saberi, M., Hussain, O. K., & Azadeh, A. (2016). Intelligent customer
complaint handling utilising principal component and data envelopment analysis
(PDA). Applied Soft Computing, 47, 614-630.
Lee, C. H., Wang, Y. H., & Trappey, A. J. (2015). Ontology-based reasoning for the
intelligent handling of customer complaints. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 84,
144-155.