customer service,
The best way to avoid customer service issues being played out
publicly on social media is to prevent them from happening. To facilitate this,
give people several options to solve problems themselves, and for making
contact - online FAQs, email, telephone, private message, and place them where
people will see them easily, like in your main bio or about section. The simpler it
is to contact you, the more likely a customer is to try that first to help resolve a
problem, rather than spouting off angrily at you online. In addition, demonstrate
your willingness to accept that problems do sometimes occur by using your
social media profiles as a way to announce less-than-positive news about
product or services issues. There will always be some fans who are upset when
they read it, but they’d be a lot more aggrieved if they had discovered the issue
on their own. If someone does post their angry grievances in public about you on
social media, two of the most important pointers to remember when approaching
such a situation are as follows:
Don't ignore it: The longer you leave a customer complaint to sit and fester, theangrier said customer will be, and by refusing to reply to negative feedback, it
looks to everyone like you are unwilling to deal with problems, and simply
hoping that ignoring them will make them go away. Look to respond as quickly
as possible, as most customers expect a swift response.
Don't delete it: Just as bad (if not worse) than ignoring negative feedback is to
delete a post submitted on your profile. When the customer who complained
notices that their comment has been deleted, they will only be even more upset,
and other fans who see what you have done (especially if the original criticism
was screen-grabbed for evidence) will think ill of you, too.
In short, always respond to complaints on social media in a professional and
courteous manner, and in a time frame that matches the resources of your
business. Be ready to acknowledge the customer's feedback (even if you don't
think you were in the wrong, as going off on the defensive is a very bad tactic,
too), and willing to admit your mistakes. We're all human - customers realize
this and will respect you a whole lot more for being open and honest about any
errors, than simply trying to sweep issues under the carpet. To sweeten instances
like this, explain how you will work to fix or improve things if necessary, ask for
input from your fans if the situation calls for it, and send a follow-up note a
couple of days after the issue has been resolved as a way to make sure
everything is still okay and to reaffirm a social connection between the customer
and your company. Occasionally, consider going above and beyond the call of
duty to remedy a customer's problem - in public - in order to harness a wave of
respect and good karma.
publicly on social media is to prevent them from happening. To facilitate this,
give people several options to solve problems themselves, and for making
contact - online FAQs, email, telephone, private message, and place them where
people will see them easily, like in your main bio or about section. The simpler it
is to contact you, the more likely a customer is to try that first to help resolve a
problem, rather than spouting off angrily at you online. In addition, demonstrate
your willingness to accept that problems do sometimes occur by using your
social media profiles as a way to announce less-than-positive news about
product or services issues. There will always be some fans who are upset when
they read it, but they’d be a lot more aggrieved if they had discovered the issue
on their own. If someone does post their angry grievances in public about you on
social media, two of the most important pointers to remember when approaching
such a situation are as follows:
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looks to everyone like you are unwilling to deal with problems, and simply
hoping that ignoring them will make them go away. Look to respond as quickly
as possible, as most customers expect a swift response.
Don't delete it: Just as bad (if not worse) than ignoring negative feedback is to
delete a post submitted on your profile. When the customer who complained
notices that their comment has been deleted, they will only be even more upset,
and other fans who see what you have done (especially if the original criticism
was screen-grabbed for evidence) will think ill of you, too.
In short, always respond to complaints on social media in a professional and
courteous manner, and in a time frame that matches the resources of your
business. Be ready to acknowledge the customer's feedback (even if you don't
think you were in the wrong, as going off on the defensive is a very bad tactic,
too), and willing to admit your mistakes. We're all human - customers realize
this and will respect you a whole lot more for being open and honest about any
errors, than simply trying to sweep issues under the carpet. To sweeten instances
like this, explain how you will work to fix or improve things if necessary, ask for
input from your fans if the situation calls for it, and send a follow-up note a
couple of days after the issue has been resolved as a way to make sure
everything is still okay and to reaffirm a social connection between the customer
and your company. Occasionally, consider going above and beyond the call of
duty to remedy a customer's problem - in public - in order to harness a wave of
respect and good karma.
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