The good part about social media? It gives your brand exposure online.
The bad part? Everyone has a visible voice.
If your business is on social media, chances are you’ll have to deal with negative feedback from customers. No business is bulletproof, and you’re expected to go the extra mile to keep customers happy.
So how do you deal with these incredibly awkward situations? The following five tips will help you handle negative comments with ease, and ultimately turn a negative situation into good PR and sales for your business.
1. Respond (yes, it is 100% necessary)
Probably the worst thing you could do is not respond. Yes that includes “forgetting,” deleting, and looking away. If the customer had an issue at your place of business, would you just sit there and ignore them? NO. Same goes for social media. Loyal customers are hard to come by, so don’t leave a bad taste in their mouths.
2. Don’t be defensive, be honest
Don’t take it personally. Customers (and especially trolls) can sense your frustration from a mile away. A defensive response can quickly escalate any issue.
With Enplug’s social media accounts, I try to be as polite and honest as possible. Issues that can be fixed should be asap, and if not, ask for more information. If the customer is an internet troll, take the high road and agree to disagree.
3. Offer an incentive
This is the most important tip on the list because it gives you the chance to transform a disgruntled poster into a lifelong customer.
If the poster isn’t satisfied with your solution thus far, or happen to have a very valid argument, offer them some sort of discount or coupon to show your care and appreciation. Your incentive should be just enough to impress the customer and get them back in your store.
4. Ask for more information
Frustrated customers don’t always make the most sense. They’re taking time out of their day to angrily type and share their displeasures. Ask them questions surrounding the issue. You might just receive some valuable feedback on how to better your services. Customers will see that you really do care and that you stand by your product or service.
5. Take the conversation private
Followers of you and your customers might be interested to see the exchange, but not a whole feed of it. If the problem or issue will last longer than a few posts, or will require personal information of some sort, take it out of the public view. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook all offer private messaging platforms for you to chat with others, so use these.
6. Be consistent
Whoever is running your business’s social media accounts should be aware of the voice and expectations for your brand. Never play favorites with your customers when dealing with negative feedback. All issues should be handled in similar fashion.
There’s no way to prepare for negative feedback (like some suggest). Every case is different, and requires some sort of judgement. As long as your social media manager is aware of how to handle negative situations, and understands the expectations for your brand, you should be able to turn these occurrences into future dollars!