Social media is a place for brands to tell their story. It is also a place for consumers to talk openly about any company, whether it be positive or negative feedback. So when the customer comment or review reflects your business in a negative way, what do you do? It is important to follow these three simple steps in order to maintain your relationship with a particular consumer and other fans of the page.
• Respond immediately – Always, always respond! I can’t stress enough how important it is to respond to every comment received on any social media channel. Social media has become one of the top sources for customer service. If a business chooses to not respond, then it can have more of a negative impact than the comment alone. It can give your customers a feeling that their voice isn’t important and you aren’t concerned. When you respond, be patient and understanding. It is extremely easy to become defensive of your brand, but you have to see it through the consumers’ point of view.
• Take the conversation offline – As you are responding, take the conversation offline. Let’s say that you are in the hotel industry and someone comments about the bad experience they had while staying at your resort. You can respond by saying, “We are very sorry to hear about this and apologize about the inconvenience. Could you please send us a direct message to the page, and we will be happy to get this resolved. Thank you for your patience.” Once the customer has sent you a direct message ask them for their phone number and email address and have someone contact them right away.
• Remove negative post – Once the issue has been resolved ask the customer to remove their negative comment. If the customer is happy with the outcome of the situation, then this is where opportunities lie to make a negative a positive. The customer could come back with how satisfied they were about how your company handled the issue.
Negative comments are going to happen with any business. It is much easier for a consumer to share a negative experience they had with a company. When a customer leaves a negative comment or review they are simply asking to be heard by the company. With these three easy steps, you will show your fan base that you value their opinions and you are a trusted brand.
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