Dealing with upset customers is a challenge all businesses face. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a start-up e-commerce merchant, you are going to experience some customer animosity one way or another.
The question is: How do you deal with it?
If you have a social media agency, you can always have them represent you in sticky situations like having to deal with an angry customer. But it does not mean that you won’t stay on top of the situation. Negative feedback from your market can be a real downer but it can also be an opportunity. It all depends on how you or your social media agency handles it.
We borrowed tips from the guys at Social Media Examiner and we’re sharing them with you so you and your social media agency can work customer service magic when dealing with not-so-happy customers.
1. Start with great listening. Have your social media agency set up tools so you are aware of your online surroundings. Google Alerts is a good place to start. Of course, there are also social media platforms to give you an idea of what people are saying about you. You can’t react to a situation you know nothing about, even if it’s about you. The idea here is to catch negative buzz before it goes out of hand. Make sure you and your social media agency have a good listening program in place.
2. Find out if it’s worth responding to. Not all negative comments are worth a response. Offensive as they may be, sometimes the best reaction is to ignore it. For example, if it’s a really rude and outrageous attack that is obviously irrelevant to your product or service or it it’s a known rabble-rouser trying to pick a fight, it’s best to stay out and move on.
3. Act fast. In situations like this, time is not on your side. The longer an angry customer waits, the angrier he/she gets. At the very least, you or your social media agency can pacify an angry customer by letting him/her know that you are aware of their complaint. You don’t immediately have to present a solution if you can’t. Acknowledging the problem is a good start.
We’ve got more tips in store. Come back tomorrow for the second part of this post.