Tuesday 12 June 2012

Avoiding holiday home customer complaints

The best way to avoid getting complaints from your customers is to never give them cause for complaint in the first place, but (this said) whenever you are running a business you are likely to have to handle complaints eventually. Some complaints may be frivolous or beyond your ability to avoid but, in most cases, as long as you address complaints in a proactive and reasonable manor you can keep your holiday home guests happy. When you are running a holiday house business, it is essential that you take out holiday house insurance.

The most common complaints holiday guests are likely to make concern cleanliness or other problems with the property. There are also likely to be complaints about issues of communication, if your guests feel that instructions could have been clearer, or if your property was misrepresented. Some guests may also complain about issues that are not in your power to control, such as the weather or noisy neighbours. Having holiday home insurance is a good way of preparing yourself against problems you can’t foresee, but it will not protect you from complaints.

Making sure that you follow a cleaning regimen is a good way to make sure your property is as clean as it can be before your guests arrive, whether you clean the home yourself or employ someone to clean while you are away. There are a number of other checks that need to be carried out between guests, such as checking lights and batteries in clocks and controllers. Having enough coat-hangers in wardrobes keys in lockable windows and doors so that guests can feel comfortable. Taking these simple steps can minimise the complaints you will have to handle. Having holiday property insurance can help to protect your home when you aren't around to check on it.

Giving your guests everything they need, and being sure they can find it, is a good way to keep them happy. Keeping spare batteries and light bulbs in drawers is a good start, but having clearly printed instructions to point out where everything is will allow your guests to find things easier. It is important to be as accurate as possible when directing your guests; from the advertising of your property to the directions you send them to help guide them there. Poorly written or confusing instructions can cause frustration. It is also important to be as clear as you can when applying for holiday house insurance.

If you find yourself having to deal with a customer complaint directly, it is a good idea to keep calm and remain polite (even if the customer is not). Keeping a friendly attitude will encourage your guests to do the same, and should reduce the chances of things escalating. You should assure your customers that their concerns will be looked into, and follow up on anything they report. If you find that action needs to be taken, it might be a good idea to offer reductions on future stays before considering offering a refund, as it helps to facilitate return trade. You always need to have holiday home insurance in place when running a holiday letting business.

It can be hard to get holiday house insurance with a mainstream insurance provider, but this is not the case with HomeProtect. With HomeProtect you can get a competitive online quote for holiday home insurance.

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