Complaints!

Complaints. It is so hard to deal with complaints because we take our businesses so personally.

I am deeply wounded when somebody doesn't like an attraction or experience at Maize Quest.

Analyzing complaints requires a bit of objectivity. You also cannot always analyze complaints when they happen because the situation is best handled (and ended) as soon as possible.

To handle complaints, our employee guidebook has our staff

1. Allow the guest to fully vent their feelings.
2. Restate the issue to ensure venting is complete and the guest feels "heard".
3. Ask the guest to suggest an appropriate remedy.
4. Make that remedy happen, no matter what the cost - (UNLESS the guest broke rules or is being abusive.)

Analyzing the complaint is a different issue. The key (paraphrased from Andy Stanley) is "Does the issue that created the complaint have to do with our mission (or mantra) or is it something different?"

Mission issues. Issues related to our mission of "Make people happy" at the Maize Quest Fun Park would include complaints about the safety of an attraction, the appearance of the park, or guest-to-guest confrontations our staff need to address (i.e. rowdy teens wrecking the bamboo maze for young families.)

We take care of mission issues and care deeply that we are told about them. These are top-priority complaints.

Non-mission issues. Complaints that are not directly related to our core mission, but are simply personal preferences we handle differently. Guest's may complain that there is no fresh sushi in the snack shop or they don't like red barns or they wish we were open through 2AM.

These are not issues that threaten our core mission of "Making (the most) people (possible) happy (as they can be made)."

We still listen to the guest thoroughly, but we discount those complaints and limit our reactions to them.

Keep in mind that non-mission issues can be upgraded to mission issues if the volume of complaints increases. If everyone is complaining about how far they have to walk from the parking lot, perhaps it is time to consider using a parking shuttle.

After this week's email, you have the homework assignment of creating your mantra from your mission statement, now you know how we use our mantra to filter guest complaints into mission and non-mission issues.

Have a great Easter Weekend!
Hugh

Call Hugh anytime at:

1-866-935-6738 ext 102
hughmc@mazecatalog.com