Those who maintain and manage the social media channels on behalf of a client or company know only too well the stress of the dreaded double c-word – customer complaints.
For business owners, the advent of the digital age has proved to be a marketing revelation seeking to broadcast their message to a wider audience. However, social media has also opened the brand up new avenues for disgruntled customers to vent their opinions like never before. On the flip side, a company can really build a solid customer service reputation through its social media complaints policy.
In an ideal world, all feedback would be good and all customers would be happy. However, the reality is that 45% of consumers take to social media to share their bad experiences. How a company deals with negative feedback can either enhance or cause irreparable damage to its image depending on how it’s handled.
Here are some expert tips about how to deal with social media complaints as they happen:
When it comes to social media complaints, there is no room for picking and choosing. Each one must be dealt with accordingly, regardless of how small or bizarre the issue may be. Ignoring a complaint could cause it to escalate and may cause lead to further problems down the line.
While the majority of complainants will be polite and genuine, there will always be a minority that will resort to expletives or inappropriate language. When dealing with this, remind the complainant of your social media policy and such language can lead to a ban or a deleted post or in extreme cases, a report to the relevant authorities.
A critical mistake that many make is putting the complaint on the back burner to address at a later period. While sometimes it’s impossible to deal with a complaint right away, it’s best to acknowledge it as soon as possible and inform the complainant that being investigated. The nature of social media is fast-paced and instantaneous so as a rule, customers expect a prompt response to any complaint or query.
Sometimes it’s not what you say; but how you say it and this ethic most certainly applies to dealing with online customer complaints. The manner in which you deliver your message will be seen as an overall representation of your company so it’s important to word your response carefully.
There’s nothing worse than receiving a cold, generic response from a company, you wouldn’t like it so neither would the customer. So with this in mind, it is important to take a human approach.
Most complaints will differ wildly so deal with each one on a case-by-case basis. Show empathy with the person who made the complaint and use a friendly and calm tone. This will reassure the complainant that they’re dealing with an actual company representative and not an automated robot. It will also help to alleviate any frustration or ire that the person may have had prior to the correspondence.
A common tactic for people who wish to make a complaint on social media is to post directly on the timeline of a company page instead of sending a private message. This is generally aimed to elicit a quick response from a company by bringing an issue into the public domain.
While it’s never a good idea to delete these kinds of posts, there are methods to control them. One such way is to direct the conversation away from the public eye by responding quickly and requesting the contact details of the person. Most people will send these details through private mail where the complaint can be discussed further in a more discreet environment.
This seems straightforward enough right? Well actually, you’d be surprised how many companies have promised the sun, moon and stars to a complainant and subsequently left the issue unresolved. This is a bad move and can be very damaging to the image of a company and can also set off a chain reaction of further complaints and anger toward the company.
The way to avoid this is simple; always follow up on what you’ve promised and check in with the person who made the complaint for feedback and a satisfaction report. Not all complaints can be resolved immediately, so if a person is required to wait a little longer, make sure to send them regular updates regarding the status of their complaint. It will save a lot of hassle in the long term.
Want to know more about using social media for your business? Our expert team are more than happy to help!!
By Iñaki Castellet Hernández
By Jeff Sheridan
By Matrix Internet