A computer program trains waiters by simulating restaurant complaints

Does your computer make rude remarks to you?

While manufacturers struggle to make their machines more user-friendly, Richard Margetts, a catering lecturer at Granville College, in Yorkshire, has developed a program that positively encourages the computer to be nasty towards its operator.

The software, called Custom, has been funded by the employment department's learning technologies unit, and is designed to help hotel and catering trainees to cope with customers' complaints. Such complaints can make or break a business. The idea for the program grew out of an unpleasant evening Mr. Margetts and his wife had at a hotel. In a scene that could have come from "Fawlty Towers", the BBC television comedy series, the couple were left standing in the hotel lobby while the receptionist continued making a personal telephone call. During the meal they were ignored by the waiter and had to order their drinks at the bar and carry them back to the table. The couple complained to the manager who sympathized but said it was difficult to train staff in customer care.

"Britons are very complacent about complaints," says Mr. Margetts, who used to run his own restaurant. 'Good service is not seen as being very important.'

Hence the computer-based training package. The first part analyses how complaints arise. The complaints included those from the few customers who go to a restaurant determined to make a fuss, perhaps in the hope of a freemeal.

Mr. Margetts says: 'Within the program we have included ways of spotting those complaints, and those that can arise because of a bad experience somebody has had even before entering the restaurant.'

"The program will also identify the complaints that can occasionally arise merely from customer boredom. Somebody may have decided he cannot stand his dining companion, for example, and takes his unhappiness out on the food or the unfortunate waiter."

The waiters assemble a customer profile. "How am I dressed — shabby, average or immaculate?" the computer asks.

 

"Is my accent local or non-local?

Do I speak perfect English or might I be a tourist?

Am I alone or with a group? Is it a mixed-sex group?

What is my age bracket?

How much alcohol do I seem to have drunk?"

 

The computer then suggests successful ways of tackling the customer.

Mr. Margetts says: 'The idea is that the trainee sees that personal attributes such as accent or dress are a weak indicator of how a customer will respond during a complaint, whereas attitude and alcohol are much stronger.

In the second part of the program, the computer becomes less than friendly. The trainee takes part in role-play simu­lations in which the computer acts like a complaining customer. The computer can be programmed to be angry, rude, reasonable,; or rambling. The trainee's task is to recognize the warning signs and calm the situation.

At the end of a session, trainees are told how many attempts it has taken to reach the correct response. The results are saved for the course tutor to read.

But although the program uses graphics and text to good effect, it cannot yet convey complex factors such as the customer's tone of voice, body posture, or facial expression. Future versions may use video pictures and sound for greater realism.

However, Mr. Margetts says there are no plans to incorporate a robot arm that grabs the user by the lapels.

(adapted from 'The Times')

 

VOCABULARY NOTES:

nasty	unkind
makeor break	cause either success or complete failure
make a fuss	cause a lot of problems with no real reason
shabby	dressed in old, untidy clothes
immaculate	perfect, very neat
rambling	talking in a long, unorganized way
lapels	the two parts of the front of a jacket
	that are folded back

Give Russian equivalents for the vocabulary no­tes above.

Answer the questions:

What is Mr. Margett's job?

Who is the software program going to help?

Wfiat two things did Mr. and Mrs. Margetts complain about?

What was the manager's response?

The article mentions three causes of complaints which are nothing to do with the quality of service of food. What are they?

What questions does the computer ask in order to construct a customer profile?

Which factors decide how a customer will react during a complaint?

During the role play, what must the trainee try to do? What does the program not do yet?

Sum up the information you've learned from the text.

XXIII. Think and answer:

Do you think this form of training is effective? Give reasons.

Is this form of training expensive? Why do you think so? Why is it important to train staff in customer care?

The text says that Britons are very complacent about complaints. Can you say the same about the Russians?

Can you think of the difference in attitude to complaining customers in European and Russian hotels?

What typical complaints can by heard in Russian hotels? What is the response of the management?

Do you think you could handle complaints in a proper way? Give examples.