According to the Singapore Productivity Centre (SGPC), 40 percent of diners have experienced problems with delivery orders. When mistakes happen, customers blame restaurants, not riders – and that’s not good.
Around 20 percent of American customers switch restaurants after delivery mistakes. The same percentage also tells friends and family, worsening the problem. The situation is probably similar in Singapore’s dining sector. Avoiding problems in the first place is ideal, but sometimes you have to deal with unhappy customers. How you do so can salvage their loyalty or send them elsewhere. So what’s the solution?
Here are eight steps for handling customer complaints to help Singapore’s eateries retain their fans and expand their local brands.
1. Own your mistakes with an honest approach
Honesty is always the best policy when fielding customer complaints about food delivery. When you do make mistakes, don’t make excuses. And never start by blaming the customer for being too demanding or incorrect. The customer is usually right, after all.
Diners don’t expect perfection. They will return for future orders if you listen to them seriously and openly admit any errors.
2. Respond quickly and solve customer problems
If you can make good delivery mistakes, you definitely should. Customers are hungry for great food. When you treat them respectfully, they won’t mind waiting 20 minutes for a beef rendang or a bucket of succulent fried chicken.
Sometimes, diners can’t wait and choose alternative eateries. That’s unfortunate, but frustration is never the best response. Apologize for the initial problem, process a refund, and assure the customer that you understand the issue.
3. Sweeten the deal with customer rewards
Even if it hurts to receive complaints, rewarding irritated customers with discounts or coupons is a good idea.
Remember that customers have chosen your restaurant above everyone else. With food prices in Singapore rising, diners demand value for money. They hate feeling short-changed by bad service.
Offering rewards ensures disgruntled diners leave with smiles on their faces. Their last interaction with your restaurant is positive, encouraging them to return for a future meal.
4. Respond to online reviews positively
Nowadays, many customers head to online review sites like Google to register their dissatisfaction. These sites generally give restaurants space to respond, but not every business does so. That’s a mistake, as leaving bad reviews unattended causes serious problems.
According to one study, 59% of diners will refuse to order from restaurants with three or more negative reviews on a listing website. To make matters worse, one negative review can cost you 30 customers.
The best solution is to monitor reviews and respond to negative feedback. Treat each review respectfully. Inform readers about how you responded and let everyone know you are handling any problems raised by the reviewer.
5. Practice difficult scenarios with your staff
Complaints take many forms, and you need to prepare for everything.
Customers can be rude and demanding, testing the patience of your team. In rare cases, they may just be malicious, trying to secure discounts or free food. Most of the time, customers are annoyed – probably with good reason.
Your team needs to assess each situation and find a solution. The best way to achieve this is by training everyone to stay calm and follow a complaints process.
We recommend setting aside time to workshop complaints scenarios. Well-prepared staff always handle customers more confidently and efficiently.
6. Streamline your social media strategy
Customers often complain directly to restaurants via X or Facebook. You don’t need to respond to every post about delays or spillages, but leaving social media complaints unaddressed is always a bad look.
Assign a team member to check social media channels regularly. Try to handle as many responses as possible without becoming overwhelmed. If you have a great online interaction, let the world know. Social media users will be impressed by your prompt and personalized customer service.
7. Escalate problematic customers to avoid unnecessary work
Not all complaints are fair. Sometimes, customers decide they don’t like their choices or become annoyed by tiny delays because they are on tight personal schedules. Some customers are repeat offenders, constantly complaining without a genuine reason.
Take every complaint seriously but allow staff to divert difficult customers to managers. Senior team members can politely refuse refund requests and reassure patrons – leaving junior staff free to focus on the food.
8. Focus on quality
Finally, you’ll have fewer problems with customer complaints if every dish you deliver is delicious. Customers may be unhappy about incorrect or late orders but won’t head elsewhere if the food is irresistible.
Tokyo’s “Restaurant of Mistaken Orders” is a great example. Most of the elderly staff suffer from mild dementia, so they make a few mistakes. Customers don’t mind because everything they receive is first-rate (and the restaurant approaches life with a smile).
Singapore’s restaurant visitors are no different. Focusing on quality always makes friends who come back again and again.
Handle customer complaints like a pro with foodpanda’s help
Restaurants don’t have to deal with customer complaints alone. Signing up with foodpanda’s delivery platform makes handling complaints easier, boosting your local reputation and serving the people that matter.
Foodpanda’s team of dedicated customer service expert makes it easy to track delivery staff and verify customer complaints. Issue rapid refunds if delivery riders leave their routes, and defend your team when complaints don’t stack up.
Easy-to-use menus on your restaurant’s foodpanda page make sure there’s no confusion about what customers are ordering. We even take care of customer feedback, freeing your staff to deliver or perfect signature dishes.
Onboarding with foodpanda is a mouth-watering step for customer-focused restaurants. Sign up today and take the pain out of food delivery.
