Where have they gone?

I don't know the exact numbers, but it's something along the lines of this - 55% of all McDonalds head office phone calls each year are complaints, 40% are inquiries, and only 5% made some form of praise. My question is this... Why? I can understand the need to complain, especially when something goes wrong, but have you ever received such great service that you feel you should make a phone call or write a letter? The truth is most people can only find the time to complain, compliments take a back seat to everything else.

It's understandable that people can't find the time to write compliments, as they will usually receive nothing in return, however, the joy you can spread to others from a simple compliment should be one of the best feelings around.

Did you know it takes an average of 15 minutes to write a complaint letter, and only 5 to write a letter of praise? Not only do letters of praise require less explanation, but are easier to write due to the fact that you're not fired up at the time of writing.

Even if it's just a simple compliment, or a mention to the manager or head worker at any store/restaurant/business commenting on the spectacular service you've just received, 2 minutes goes a long way.

I'm not asking you to give praise to everybody, as sometimes service (especially at fast food restaurants) can be incredibly bad. I'm just asking for people to give praise where praise is due. Outstanding service deserves some form of appreciation no matter the venue.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I'd like to offer some tips on what to do when service in unnaturally slow/terrible.

I've been in situations where the service has been so incredibly terrible I've wanted to pull my hair out. I didn't... I'm usually pretty calm and reasonable when it comes to bad service, but even somebody who's as cool as a cucumber can lose his or her cool from time to time.

Screaming and yelling at a family restaurant not only hurts the person you’re screaming at, but yourself and all the people around.

Here are some tips for keeping cool during a bad experience:

1. Always speak in a calm and collected manner no matter the situation. From order placing to disputing a mistake, the calm and cool customer will usually receive a better reaction from the in house staff.

2. If you experience something that really upsets you, let yourself calm down before speaking to the staff about it or allow somebody else from your party deal with it. This will save you from making yourself look like an a**.

3. If the restaurant you're visiting is extremely busy, wait until it slows down before approaching the management. As a manager, dealing with customer complaints is never pleasant, but it's even worse when you're extremely stressed out.

4. Never, and I mean NEVER EVER, insult any employee of the establishment you're visiting; it makes you look like a tool and is completely unnecessary.

5. If all else fails, take a walk. But don't walk out of the establishment cussing and cursing, just calmly walk out, if anybody asks, just say you're getting some fresh air.

6. If after everything has gone wrong, and the manager/staff is still not willing to fix the problem, calmly ask for the head-office phone number/email address. I know I said that complaining to head office isn't a very good thing to do, but sometimes it's completely necessary.

7. Bonus Tip - Never take anything to heart, rude staff, a disrespectful comment from a manager, or anything else. While these experiences definitely deserve a phone call to head office, let yourself cool down before writing a letter of complaint. And whenever possible, give the person the benefit of the doubt. Everybody makes mistakes, but if it happens more than once Head Office is the only solution.

I hope these tips will help you stay calm during stressful restaurant situations. Restaurant employees have a tough enough time without customers breathing down their necks, and service will only get better with respectful treatment from the customers.

IF YOU FIND THIS GUIDE HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your comments, questions, and ways you think this guide could be improved.

Thank you,

Randall, of Randalls-eBooks.com