If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas and visited The Wynn resort you know they are an "A" class resort and, like Disney, they manage every detail of their customers’ experience; treating the customer area of the resort as the stage where a performance is going on 24/7.

That said, there are still complaints that have to be managed.  We had one on Sunday and it’s a clear example of how proper handling of our problem means they will continue to get our business:

We went to the resort for the Sunday brunch.  We do this often to work. It’s a great environment and we always get a lot done.  We’re there for 3 hours (+/-) and leave an appropriate tip as ‘table rent’ for the server. 

Sunday we were seated in Carlos’ area.  We sat, he brought us our drinks and we had our first course.  40 minutes later Carlos finally came back around to our table to let us know he’d be right back to refill our glasses.  40 minutes! Our glasses have NEVER been empty at the Wynn brunch before!

We hadn’t started working yet and I was annoyed.  This is a totally foreign experience for us when at the Wynn.  I thought about just sitting back and letting it ride but because I was so distracted by the poor service, I wouldn’t be able to fully focus on the work we wanted to get do so dicided to speak to the Hostess. 

Elsie was stellar in her managing of our complaint.  She listened to us and immediately agreed to seat us with another server.  She was very apologetic and said she’d also let the manager know what was going on.  She was friendly, always with a pleasant look on her face, and made us feel like she genuinely cared.  She seated us with Lisa who performed her duties without fault and with transparnency.  Our glasses were never empty and she was always available, checking on us AND the rest of her customers.

Lisa was delivering the kind of service the Wynn has set us up to expect.  Carlos was not.  They both had the same number of tables and customers but Carlos’ attention to the needs of his customers fell far below even minimally acceptable standards. 

Elsie came back shortly after reseating us to make sure we were okay.  Perfect!

Bottom line:  If Elsie had handled our complaint differently we would have left the buffet and the resort with a sour taste in our mouths.  Would we have returned in the future?  I don’t know.  But we certainly would not rave about the resort, the service, or the quality of the Sunday brunch.

For you and your <a href="http://homebusinessstartup.org">home business</a>, especially if you have a <a href="http://homebusinessstartup.org">home business start up</a>, one bad experience can mean certain failure.  Turn it around by satisfying your customer and you can end up with a customer for life.  Caring about them, their problem, and their experience will ensure they return, and their trust in you will deepen.  Even more, they’ll tell the story of what you did for them.  There is no better advertising for your home business than word of mouth.

One other note:  A dissatisfied customer will tell more people about their experience than you can afford.  Likewise, a satisfied customer who’s turned into a raving fan will talk about you and your <a href="http://homebusinessstartup.org">home business</a> and convert people to customers for you.  It’s far too costly to undo a customer’s bad experience.   Manage every detail and make sure the experiences are all positive – even the handling of complaints (or should I say, especially!).