Putting out the fire of negative feedback
Things spread like wildfire nowadays. That silly dress that ended up actually being black and blue was found on everyone’s phone and computer by the end of the day. The same can be true about a bad review of your company. Sure, your company may not be known nationwide, but a review can haunt you within your local area if you aren’t careful. Dealing with customer feedback online, both negative and positive, is entirely different than how you would have dealt with it in the past. If you fail to handle it in the correct manner, you could end up losing loyal customers. So, this will act as your guide to making sure your company’s reputation stays afloat and your customers remain happy for the foreseeable future.
On social media, it is very simple to see what people are saying about your company, even if it wasn’t posted directly to your page. The most common service for this is Google Alerts. This lets you see everyone that has mentioned your company name in one neat place. If people are saying nice things about your company even if not directly on your page, you should still respond in a polite manner by thanking them. The same goes for negative comments only you should respond in a professional manner that will hopefully alleviate their dislike of your company. Some companies even set up their Google Alerts to include their main competitor’s company name. If their press is overwhelmingly positive, you’ll have to step up your game.
When customers do complain on your social media, you’ll want to respond fairly quickly. The customer will appreciate your dedication to them and hopefully remain loyal to your company despite the bad service they may have received previously. Of course, your company can do their best to provide the best services possibly, but you will always come in contact with a few bad seeds who just can’t be pleased no matter what. Some companies feel as though leaving the complaints alone and not addressing them is better than stirring up drama. Ignoring the customer though will cause them to lose all faith in your company. A frustrated customer like when you take time out of your busy day to pay attention to them.
Like I said before, there are some people who complain just to complain. These types of customers will keep returning for your services and keep complaining about it online. I know it doesn’t really make any sense but these people exist and can be a nuisance to a company’s online reputation. You need to know how to spot these types of customers online so that you don’t feed into it. This could then cause you to waste your time trying to please them only to make them unhappier. While you won’t always be able to avoid this type of situation just be sure to always defend your point using solid facts so your company doesn’t lose its credibility. With this guide, you should do fine in regards to keeping the people happy.
