1. Be professional and treat customers with respect.
You: Thank you for your patience. How can I help you?
Customer: I’ve been waiting on the phone for 20 minutes. I’d like to book a campsite for the long weekend at Beach Park Provincial Campground.
You: I realize it is frustrating to be put on hold. I’ll check on that park for you right now… I’m sorry that park is full.
2. Determine details of the concern - do not interrupt.
Customer: I’ve promised to take my children camping on the long weekend and now I have nowhere to camp. I can’t believe I waited over 20 minutes to be told there are no campsites.
You: I really apologize. Are there any other parks that we could look into?
3. Listen and empathize with guests - put yourself in their shoes.
You: I have kids of my own and it’s so hard to disappoint them. What kind of activities were you looking for? Maybe another park has similar features.
Customer: We really wanted to camp at the Beach Park. Why don’t you have more people answering the phones?
4. Acknowledge the concern, apologize for any inconvenience, and thank guest for raising concern.
You: You have a valid concern. I’m very sorry for this inconvenience. We do strive to answer our phones within 10 minutes. Thank you for letting us know you were on hold for more than 10 minutes.
5. Investigate source of concern.
You: I’ve recorded this issue in our logbook and will discuss your concerns with my supervisor.
6. Clarify how you can resolve the problem.
You: Would you like me to look into another park to find a campsite?
Customer: I was so angry I almost forgot about booking another campsite. Thank you for remembering. Yes, there are a number of parks nearby.
You take the time to review various parks and features so the customer can choose the park that will meet her family’s needs.
7. Notify the customer of the action to be taken.
You: Thank you again for your patience. If you’d like, I can contact you once we’ve looked into this matter.
Customer: No-- thank you. I know long weekends are busy for everyone. I just panicked when I thought we couldn’t go camping on this one. You’ve been very helpful.
You: Thank you. Enjoy the weekend.
