I have said this before, but I truly believe it is a luxury to work in the wedding industry. Yes, you have to work weekends and the hours may be long, but it is an incredibly rewarding and competitive industry. So the next time you are preparing for an event take a moment to stop, look around, and be grateful! If you don’t feel grateful, then you might need to reevaluate the field you’re working in, but that’s a different story. As awesome as our work may be, it is almost certain you’ll have your fair share of upset, unhappy people at events. Customer service is an integral part of our work, so it is important to be armed with the right tools to manage these situations. Here are three types of unhappy people you might encounter at an event and how to handle the situations.
- The Intoxicated – Don’t get me wrong, weddings are a celebration and I think it’s great to see people get loose and have a good time. The problem becomes when that turns into aggressive behavior or violence. When dealing with those that may have had one too many, it’s important to be understanding and be the voice of reason. Kindly ask them to stop whatever they are doing, or diffuse the situation by walking away. If that doesn’t work or it’s not possible, do not be afraid to reach out to someone in the wedding party and ask them to make sure guests are being respectful. If that doesn’t work and the situation has put you or someone else in physical danger, contact the venue staff and local police for intervention.
- Upset Clients – This one hopefully isn’t as common as the aforementioned drunks, but we are bound to do something that upsets a client at one point or another. How you handle that is what matters the most. The most important component of this, in my opinion, is your timeliness in following up with the upset client. If you let a complaint sit for too long, it’s just going to exacerbate the problem. Handle each situation with grace and make sure you take ownership for the role you had to play in the situation. Additionally, make sure the client feels heard and offer an apology at the least.
- Upset Vendors – It is important to remember that you are working for the client and the reason you are at the event is for the client, not the other vendors. However, it is important to build a community with vendors and it is nice to see some familiar faces you click with at events. If a dispute does arise at an event the most important thing is to save it for later. Eat your pride and focus on making the best possible experience for your couple. Talk it out at a later date with the vendor, using some of the tips from above. Make sure they are heard and apologize when necessary. We are a community, working together for one common goal, which is to make sure our couples have the wedding day they dreamed of.
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