Mr Moses Kwaku Golly, Training Officer of Oasis Management Limited, a Ghanaian business promotion and management consulting firm, has indicated that businesses receive feedback from only four per cent of their dissatisfied customers.
He said 96 per cent of customers do not voice out their complaints whilst 91 per cent never returned.
Mr Golly gave these indications on Friday at Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region during a workshop for more than 50 hoteliers, guest house operators and front desk officers from Techiman, Nkoranza, Kintampo, Wenchi and Seikwa.
The workshop, organised by the Ghana Progressive Hotels Association (GHAPROHA) and sponsored by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, was on the theme: "Training of Staff to Enhance Proper Customer Services."
Mr Golly said in hospitality operations like the hotel or guest house businesses, promoting good relations, excellent customer care and services, are but a few of the benefits in handling complaints of the customers successfully.
He said in communicating with customers, hoteliers must think before speaking since their gestures and attitudes are intrinsically linked to their words.
Mr Golly entreated guest house and hotel operators to be responsible to keep their customers’ information confidential because clients are indispensable partners for the stability and growth of business.
He said it is more expensive to get a new customer than to keep a current one and admonished that since the hotel and guest house businesses have become a highly competitive industry, operators must apply greater degree of professional services to stay in business.
Mr Steve Korsah, Regional Chairman of GHAPROHA and owner of Agyeiwaa Hotel in Techiman said while customers must be told to always deposit their keys at the reception for emergency purposes, spare keys should be kept at the Mangers’ offices but not at the reception or in the key rack to avoid robbery.
