It’s inevitable. You are going to upset people. But what should you do when someone posts a negative comment on Facebook or Twitter?
While working in retail, I was told that if a customer received good service, they would tell five people. If they received bad customer service they will tell 10 people. With the advent of social media, that 10 could turn into hundreds, or global if it went viral.
So, what should you do?
- Acknowledge them – as a general rule, you should respond to all comments, especially when they’re negative.
- Respond to the post in a polite way – do not rise to the bait. Give them an email address they can email their concerns with.
- Be honest.
- Don’t get defensive.
- Don’t delete the comment unless it’s offensive.
- If the issue has been resolved, say so on the original post.
Don’t be afraid of negative comments. The comment could provide constructive criticism and when responded to positively, will make you more appealing to customers in the future.
If you resolve the issue satisfactorily, you would have retained a customer and kept your reputation intact. They will go away happy and hopefully would have told those five people what great customer service they received.
And here’s one on how not to respond on Twitter.
Do you agree with the above comments? What tips would you share?
