Coping with Clients

[Nick.Shu]

bravo zulu mr Simpson.

I am curious to what you finally worked out with the client specically, and to what experiece did you gain from the mishaps?Are you going to assign uniforms to staff to make them responsible for themselves, or are you going to have all the staff meet earlier, at your place of business, then arrive enmass at the clients premise?Are you going to train staff to be multitasked oriented, so they can do more than one job, ie bartend serve, bus, help in clean up?Are you now going to spell out the relationship the staff is to maintain with all guests and clients, to prevent being awestrucked preventing them from acomplishing their tasks?
I must say that in this area, as do most,I find it difficult in handling,and identifying clients input and complaints.Luckily its not a great issue with my company since we strive to do our upmost to satisfy our clients needs and desires, but it isn't a perfect world and SH** happens. So how does one approach problem or complaints.
I was taught once that there are two catagories of objections to services provided
1.True objections, where fault is so grievous the clients concerns must be addressed to ratify the situation
2.False objections, the more insidious of the two, where objections are brought up that are no serious objections ,or where we percieve to be a problem where there is not, on which alot of time and resourses are spent trying to ratify, to no end since the client wasn't concerned in the first place.
The problem many times lies in the identification the objection,and to what length do you go in addressing them.Conversely what price do you pay in ignoring both?
To misidentify a true complaint as false,or to ratonalize our or our staffs actions instead of addressing the complaint we loose future business,goodwill,and face possible litigaton.
To misidentify a non complaint, may create it to become one in the customers eyes,by over blowing it, instead of a forgotten issue,at the risk of deminished profits and wasted time and effort.
Timing is a key factor,too early and you've jumped the gun, to late and well its.....

What are some policies some of you have?
Now it's always easy to say"I always give the customer his money back"But I'm a small business, and for a lunch for six thats fine,for a banquet for a couple of hundered, considerable monitary issues have to be addressed. Think hard and maybe this process will be easier for all.

Thank you
I apologize for my longwindedness
Best Regards
Greg Sheridan
Chef/Owner
Sans Souci Special Occasion Catering


[This message has been edited by Sans Souci Chef (edited 11-05-2000).]

[Chef David Simpson]

Can I answer this one later please? Lots of questions, not enaugh time. Can you break it down for me Sans Souci chef?

Sure can

1)What specically did you settle on with the client, to rectify the sitiuation?

2) What did you learn from the evening?

3) What steps are you going to take to prevent each of your listed problems from happening again?(in my original post my questions where framed with my take for solutions)

4)What are your current policies, for handling client complaints(or input)?

The point of my inquiry is to compare and ascertain what are the best means to handling all situations that may arise with clients, and their guests

Best Regards
Greg Sheridan
Chef/Owner
Sans Souci Special Occasion Catering

I would like all to address this issue not just the moderator. For most of us in catering we are in a world of ower own, only together we are sronger
faithfully yours
Greg Sheridan
Chef / ownner
Sans Souci Special Occasion Catering

[Chef David Simpson]

Well my friend I came to answer your questions. So here goes.
1. I settled on going to extreme caution when it comes to handling their guest list. What I mean is making sure that my cooks will be ordered to not constantly stair at their guest. It freaks them out. I know sometimes they can't help it but come on, get a grip!
2. I learned alot from that evening. Not to hire bartenders with a lapse of memory, to hire cooks with some experience in handling this type of catering, and to not forget my chef coats next time!


Will answer more later.

Congrats.
How did you rectify the problem.

Danielle