Your hard-earned holidays should be all about chilling out and relaxing right? Well don’t let a run-in with rude staff ruin your trip. Several recent customer service surveys rate satisfaction from hotels, airlines are car rental companies as somewhat lacking. But, with a few pointers you can learn to manage the situation;
Remain Calm – Get your point across calmly and without losing your temper and you’ll remain dignified. In Asia if you raise your voice or lose your temper it’s considered as ‘loosing face’ and is a huge social faux-pas. Do whatever works best for you – take a few deep breathes, step outside for a moment etc.
Allow For A Language Barrier – If you’re in another country and your language isn’t spoken, remember that shouting it louder and slower won’t necessarily get you understood. Try to pick up a phrase book, find an interpreter or break your sentence down.
Smile – A friendly smile and a warm open approach can work wonders for putting people in the right frame of mind. Especially if you’re after a favor or have made an error, asking them how they are and generally treating them like real people not robots might get you off on the right foot.
Complain – Don’t bottle it all up but get it off your chest when you get home with an email or letter of complaint. Decent companies will reply with an apology.
See It From Their Point Of View – Step back a second – is what you’re asking for realistic and reasonable? Seeing it from an employee’s perspective for a moment puts the issue into context.
Watch Your Inflight Manners – When you’re on your next flight, watch how you treat the onboard staff as if your behavior is deemed as threatening or violent, then they won’t hesitate to call the authorities to meet you off the plane.
Make Your Own Mind Up – Don’t always believe everything you read on review websites. If often pays to go with an open mind and draw your own independent conclusions.
Keep Notes – Take employees names and keep a list of incidents and what happened. This then helps you when you complain later.
