A complaint during a trip always sounds more acute than after returning: the client is far from home, plans have already been disrupted, and the cost of a mistake grows every hour. At this point, he evaluates not only the hotel, carrier or host company. He checks whether the travel agent remains nearby after payment and is able to turn anxiety into a clear plan of action.

A strong reaction is not an instant promise of compensation or a search for someone to blame in correspondence. This is a controlled process: accept the request, check the security, collect the minimum sufficient facts, assign the next contact, simultaneously launch the solution and record the agreements. This approach reduces tension, protects the client's interests and preserves the agent's professional reputation.

First 60 minutes goal

  • Ensure that the life, health and basic safety of travelers are not at risk.
  • Show the client that the request has been accepted by a specific person and is already being processed.
  • Separate proven facts from emotions, assumptions and other people's promises.
  • Choose the right solution channel: hotel, host company, tour operator, carrier, insurance or emergency service.
  • Agree on the next realistic step and the exact time of the next update.

In a crisis, the client first needs not an ideal outcome, but a feeling of control: who is dealing with the issue of what is happening now and when the next connection will be.

Service recovery principle

Step 1: Check security - before discussing the service

Start with a short question: “Is everyone safe now? Do you need medical, police or other emergency assistance? If there is a health threat, violence, fire, loss of documents, detention, or a person is left without a safe place to sleep, the usual claim logic stops. The client contacts local emergency services and insurance assistance, and the agent helps with contacts and coordination, without replacing doctors, police or consulate.

  • The country, city and exact current location of the client are specified.
  • The condition of all travelers, including children and people with special needs, has been checked.
  • It is clear whether there is access to a telephone, the Internet, money, documents and safe accommodation.
  • If necessary, official numbers of emergency services, insurance and consulate were found.
  • It is recorded who is nearby and can help the client on the spot.

Step 2. Accept the appeal without argument or premature promises.

The first response is to both acknowledge the discomfort and provide structure. Don't argue with the client's assessment, don't immediately explain why the supplier is "not at fault," and don't promise a refund the amount of which you are not authorized to determine. First, confirm the contact and name the next step.

I see that the situation has seriously disrupted your plans. I’m handling your complaint now. First, I will check the facts and contact those responsible on the spot; I'll be back with the first update by 14:30, even if there's no final decision yet.

Basic response to the client

If the client writes emotionally, do not immediately demand that a “formal complaint be filed.” Give a short human answer, then transfer the facts to your work card. Official documents can be collected after the immediate problem has been resolved.

Step 3: Put together a fact pack in ten minutes

  • What was supposed to happen according to the booking and what actually happened.
  • When did the problem start and is it still ongoing?
  • Who has already received the appeal on the spot, his position and what response he gave.
  • What specific consequences does the client have: no room, missed transfer, additional costs, loss of time or worsening conditions.
  • What kind of confirmation is available: photos, videos, receipts, correspondence, voucher, boarding pass or certificate.
  • What solution the client considers acceptable right now, separate from later compensation.

Ask only for materials needed for the current step. Don't force a stressed person to send dozens of identical photos or retell the whole story to several participants. Save files with clear names and times of receipt, and mark the source of each fact on the card.

Incident Card: Single Source of Truth

  • Reservation number, composition of tourists and current contacts.
  • Location, local time and a one-sentence summary of the problem.
  • Priority Level: Safety, Critical Service Defect, Major Inconvenience, or Non-Critical Service Defect.
  • Confirmed facts, unconfirmed words and open questions - in separate blocks.
  • Responsible parties, time of each request and promised response time.
  • A temporary solution, the desired result of the client and the next contact with him.

Prioritize so you don't spend the same amount of time on different issues.

  1. Critical: there is a risk to life, health, freedom, or the client is left without safe accommodation. Actions - immediately.
  2. High: the service is not provided and a significant part of the trip is being ruined right now - no transfer, check-in, ticket or confirmed seat. Updates every 15–30 minutes.
  3. Medium: conditions differ markedly from those confirmed, but basic service is available. We need a plan within an hour and an agreed upon time frame for correction.
  4. Low: local service deficiency without significant impact on the trip. Fixed and resolved in working order with a specific deadline.

Priority does not depend on the volume of the message, but on the consequences and urgency. At the same time, the emotional state of the client is also important: even a problem that is low according to operational criteria requires calm communication and an understandable deadline.

Step 4. Escalate in a chain, not in all directions at once

Contact the party that can make a difference on the ground first. For a hotel room, this is the administrator or shift manager; for transfer - local coordinator; for flight changes - the carrier or the responsible service of the tour operator; for an insured event - assistance. Parallel mailing to all contacts creates noise, conflicting promises and loss of responsibility.

  • The appeal states the booking, the facts, the consequences and the desired urgent solution.
  • A direct question was asked: who makes the decision and by what time will the answer be given?
  • A written record was sent even after a telephone conversation.
  • If the deadline is missed, the request is raised to the next level with a history of previous contacts.
  • Internal correspondence with accusations and unconfirmed versions is not sent to the client.

For booking 4821, clients were confirmed to have the specified room category, but at 13:20 they were given another option without a second bed. The family is in the lobby with the child. We ask you to confirm check-in according to your reservation or an equivalent alternative before 14:00 and name the responsible manager.

Operational Escalation Structure

Step 5. Update the client on time, even if there is no response yet

The most destructive pause is indefinite silence. If you promised to return at 14:30, contact exactly at this time. Let them know what has been confirmed, what has already been done, what you are waiting for and when the next communication will be. The phrase “no response yet” becomes useful if you add action and a deadline to it.

  1. Fact: what was verified without interpretation.
  2. Action: who and when did you contact.
  3. Status: what solution is being considered or what is still missing.
  4. Next contact: exact local time and communication channel.

First a temporary solution, then final compensation

During the trip, the priority is to reduce ongoing damage: find safe accommodation, arrange meals, restore transfers, offer an alternative service or negotiate a reasonable independent purchase. Cash compensation often requires documentation and a decision from the provider after the trip. Don't mix these two processes and don't make the client wait for a final claim if the urgent problem can be resolved now.

  • The client understands what expenses are allowed and what limit is agreed upon.
  • If possible, written confirmation from the responsible party has been obtained prior to independent purchase.
  • Itemized receipts and payment confirmations are stored.
  • No specific refund amount is promised without authority and documentary basis.
  • A temporary solution does not remove the client’s right to document any remaining deficiencies.

Seven Mistakes That Strengthen a Complaint

  • Argue with emotions: “everything is not so bad” or “others don’t complain.”
  • Immediately blame the hotel, the operator or the client himself before checking the facts.
  • Promise to “solve everything” without a deadline, responsibility or boundaries of authority.
  • Disappear until the supplier's final response.
  • Ask the client to independently call the entire chain of partners.
  • Delete messages or conduct important agreements only verbally.
  • Publish a client’s story, photo or correspondence without separate consent.

After the solution: close the trust loop

When the urgent part is closed, confirm the result in writing: what has been changed, what expenses have been accepted, what documents are still needed and who is handling the subsequent claim. After a few hours or the next day, ask if the solution works. After returning, make a short final contact - not for the sake of a five-star rating, but to ensure that the client does not have any unanswered questions.

  • The final decision and restrictions are confirmed to the client in writing.
  • All receipts, photos, partner responses and timeline are collected in one place.
  • The owner of the post-trip claim and the deadline for the next stage have been assigned.
  • Checked whether the solution satisfied the basic need of the client.
  • The team recorded the cause and preventive action for future bookings.

Metrics that improve the process rather than hide problems

  • Time until first human response.
  • Time until security check and priority assignment.
  • Proportion of promised updates delivered on time.
  • Time until the temporary solution and until the final closure.
  • Repeated requests for the same reason to the supplier.
  • Client assessment after closure and the percentage of clients who continued cooperation.

Don't make the number of complaints your only goal: a low number may mean that complaints are not being recorded. It is more useful to see the speed of reaction, the quality of agreements, the repetition of reasons and the proportion of situations where the client received a clear solution.

First hour template

  1. 0–5 minutes: confirm receipt, check security, name next call time.
  2. 5–15 minutes: collect facts and materials, determine priority and desired urgent solution.
  3. 15–25 minutes: contact a party capable of resolving the issue on the spot, fix a response time.
  4. 25–45 minutes: Control escalation, seek temporary alternatives, and agree on acceptable costs.
  5. 45–60 minutes: update the client, confirm the next step and time of the new contact, write everything down in the incident card.

Professional handling of a complaint does not guarantee that the supplier will immediately correct any error. It guarantees something else: the client is not left alone, facts are not lost, promises have deadlines, and the solution follows a clear chain. It is this kind of experience that often has a stronger impact on trust in a travel agent than a trip in which everything went without a single difficulty.

Save the incident card template and conduct a 20-minute training session with the team: one plays the client, the second accepts the request, the third checks the facts and timing of updates.

Practice for today