Community Chest: How to Handle Negative Customer Feedback on Social Media
2 minute read | March 22, 2018
Make it a private matter
Where possible, try and move the disgruntled customer from the public eye into a private conversation. Replying first time round in public can be a good option but anything after that would ideally be sorted in private or offline. Quite often a customer who is unhappy with your company will behave or speak a lot differently when they are not in public and gives them a chance to soften their stance if you can sort their problem out efficiently.
Listen to the customer
It can be all too easy to go straight onto the defensive when someone is criticising your product or service, especially when it is something that is personal to you. However, receiving negative feedback is one of the biggest opportunities your customers can give you. If you can put your pride to one side, open your ears and take in the criticism then you have a great chance at improving your product and getting yourself ahead of the competition all whilst maintaining customer satisfaction.
Response time
Trying to respond to a dissatisfied customer in a timely manner could play a key role in getting them back on side. If you reply to a complaint or feedback efficiently the customer is much more likely to feel valued and, as a result, be a lot more co-operative as you try to fix the problem. On the other hand, if you take a long time to reply or just don’t reply at all, the customer could become even angrier and therefore the situation could spiral out of control. The latter could massively harm your company’s reputation which is why it’s important to always respond to customer feedback and complaints unless there is an obvious reason not to. Of course, this is dependent on the size of your company and the industry you are in.
There you have it, a few tips to help you deal with negative customer feedback on social media. If you don’t feel like following our tips, why not take a look at how this Manchester pub dealt with criticism online.
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