Dealing with frustrating customer 'service'

[Clearoutre]

The short: Could someone please tell me how to manage useless customer service when it's part of your job!! The long: I started a new job and was asked to organise a company day out (20 people) which includes booking a restaurant for lunch and taxis to take us there. Booking these 2 parts has been an uphill battle and given me the rage. The restaurant Events 'Manager' (when my request 2 weeks ago was a simple 'Table for 20 please') initial emails were "Yes of course have a wonderful weekend!" etc but as soon as there was anything more complicated she's been radio silent or curt to the point of rude. We agreed a menu after I asked for a few options to be added (we're paying extra for them) I asked for an updated menu to email round the office as we're required to order a week in advance and after asking 3 times she wordlessly emails a spreadsheet of our all our booking, credit card details with misspelt and incomplete menu options at the bottom (thanks!) and as someone is on a gluten free diet I asked (on the booking form & twice more via email/phone) what dishes are or can be made GF, FINALLY she emails me curtly with no apology which of the main courses are GF - thank you I said...what about the starters and desserts?? Cue even more curt email! With then less than 24 hrs to get everyone's orders I emailed all our orders 1 week advance as requested, there's been no thank you or even acknowledgement since. It's like she's completely had enough. Taxi company - I called and booked several taxis for Friday and asked for email confirmation "No because you're not going to the airport" WHAT? WHY?! Guess what, today I get a call saying the taxis are ready - I said I booked them for Friday not today, they initially respond like it's my fault and 'amend' the booking. Again, I ask for an email 'to save them another wasted journey' and the guy patronisingly interrupts "It's IN the system, it's IN!". FFS a) how DO I appear professional when dealing with situations like this and try to resolve them and b) unless I've lost all perspective this is SUCH pathetic customer service right?!! HUMPH!! Please someone tell me they've been there, done that and have some words of wisdom!

Been there done that. I find putting your head in your hands and groaning helps sorry I've no useful advice but I feel your pain

No that is definitely a good start - the 'time out' whilst groaning can help me keep smiling through...I had no idea how unnecessarily stressful the simplest & quickest of tasks could be. I would love to be (or just appear) unflappable!

Is there not another restaurant and a local minibus?!

Restaurant was chosen by boss & shuttle buses only took all-day bookings so here I am :)

It appears good customer service is a myth these days. Good luck!

It sounds like you might be. Ore hard work than she feels your booking is worth. Not great, but if it's your basic restaurant rather than somewhere more pricey, it's fairly standard to call and ask what they have that is GF before making your booking. I'm also not sure that ordering your taxis and so on is standard customer service. But maybe that is just me. Sounds like they are fed up and you haven't even got there yet.

lucky thank you! I booked an activity in the morning & an area for drinks in the evening, both with excellent customer service so I'm not totally disheartened despite the rest of the organisation being so painful. Long may that continue!

I would sack off the restaurant and go somewhere else and yell boss why. I would then contact manager of original restaurant and tell him exactly why he's lost your business.

As for taxi I don't know. All my local taxi firms are one person in a dingy room on phone for bookings and radio to contact drivers that's it. Or a one man band with a mobile. No email! If you're somewhere that has uber I'd be booking those instead, on the day, they always turn up!

trifle that's exactly how she's made me feel. The restaurant isn't basic PLUS they emailed me their 'banqueting' brochure after my initial availability enquiry that advertised corporate lunches and catering for a variety of dietary requirements etc etc I think the upfront marketing was better than the actual service. I agree taxi customer service is much more basic so I don't need lovely emails just confirmation on date/time/place. I just HOPE it all comes together on the day and if there are any mishaps I can cope with them professionally and not look useless in the first few weeks of my new job.

august wish I could - boss has said no to uber and instructed me on the restaurant. I'd love to sack off people/companies who are being non-responsive or sending cabs on the wrong day and go elsewhere etc. I could really do with some advice on professionally dealing with the situation I'm in.

Clearoute you'd have been my ultimate dream if I'd been dealing with your booking! Someone that replies to pre order requests!! Rocking horse poo!!
Ha joking aside, I wouldn't have much confidence in them either, can you ring and ask to speak to the general manager, and ask for a definite booking and pre order confirmation and perhaps mention that you are a little worried that because of the email replies, you're not confident everything has been added correctly.
Nothing like the boss coming down and asking why they've just had a call like that to galvanise some action!
On the flip side although a lot of places have website and email address supplied, few know how to, or have someone with enough time or knowledge to deal with this effectively. Sometimes I'd be reading and replying to emails on my phone while doing something else (work wise) because the only and ancient computer was refusing to comply and I didn't have time to stop anyway! Emailing a brochure that's been done by an outside company is one thing but attaching menu's, pre orders and spreadsheets can tax someone with basic skills though you can bribe computer savvy reception to do it for you
As for the taxi's agree that they're often a small back room job, possibly your booking is penned in a diary and they're not so good on the email.

Good luck, hope your colleagues appreciate the day and the effort you've gone to and it all comes together for you without too many issues!

One of the things that can help, especially in a new job dealing with a new supplier is to call and discuss, briefly how it would work. A friendly call rather than an exchange of e-mails sometimes works better.

Maybe both those firms are just crap or maybe there are things that could have worked to make the experience easier.

I would certainly chat to the manager of the venue now, explain that you seem to have got off on the wrong foot and that you just want to make sure it works for everyone. Sort out the details now.

If you view her as some sort of menial she is unlikely to want to help you. She may not have the resources to do all you ask. It might make it unprofitable/more trouble than it is worth. I don't know.

I run a small business. Sometimes people treat me as if I am a multi-national. They want timetables and "options", they want to cancel and rearrange. They want meetings to discuss £100 worth of work, (meetings in their offices 20 miles away!!). I earn £XXX, the profit margin is tiny, I don't have the resources. I am also a trusted supplier. Treat me with respect as an equal and I will do a great job. Treat me like a disposable servant, "I am paying therefore you must do X" and I would rather not have your business.

I am not saying that is how you are OP. I am just saying that when dealing with suppliers a co-operative attitude sometimes achieves more.

The boss has chosen that restaurant for a reason. Maybe they have helped him out of a tight spot in the past, pulled out all the stops for him when it mattered, the owner is married to his sister...?? Who knows.

I hope it goes well OP. Good luck

beer really helpful post! You sound like you've been there, done that, and possibly on the other side of the table too? I will definitely follow up in advance to check the restaurant booking. It's true may be their menus are outsourced and she can't amend one quickly it's just frustrating she couldn't say "no, sorry they're outsourced" instead of burying her head in the sand and ignoring me. Thank you again and fingers crossed for Friday...

Thanks Bad I totally get how some customers must behave and speak like 'We want THIS' and 'We're only paying X' but I'm SO not that person - even when I had to ask again and again for the promised GF options my emails were still 'thank you so much for your flexibility and catering to our needs' etc. I also tried to call as I didn't like the back and forth over email but she never even acknowledged my voice message. I feel like a menial tip-toeing around her if anything - it's making me second guess myself when really it's starting to become obvious how one-sided this whole transaction has been.