Sometimes customers are just plain wrong. Sometimes they have negative feedback you really need to hear. Whether you’ve just come across a furious one-star Facebook review or a nasty tweet from an unhappy customer, take a deep breath before you respond. Use your head to handle negative feedback. You’ll build stronger customer relationships and may even create a few new ones in the process.
Hit Pause
Never, ever respond immediately to negative feedback. After you read a tweet or comment that comes across hostile, it’s tempting to fire back a reply in self-defense. The problem with that is your first response won’t likely be representative of the way you want people to see your brand. It’s worth taking a step back to formulate a response that reflects your brand persona and customer service approach accurately.
Use Customer Data
Gather whatever information you have on the customer’s past interactions with your business. Are they a new or repeat customer? Have they had complaints in the past? Have they contacted you at all previously? How were past interactions handled? Having a CRM with a full contact history linked to each contact can help you come up with the best possible response to criticism. If you’re on the phone with an unhappy customer, you won’t have the luxury of a time out. Keep your emotions in check and allow your customer plenty of time to say everything they want to.
Respond Quickly
It’s a great idea to take a little time to respond appropriately, just don’t give in to the temptation to ignore negative feedback, even if it was given privately. While no response might be better than a fiery outburst, it won’t make you look good. Even private, negative feedback offers you the opportunity to solidify your brand reputation. Turning an upset customer into a happy one is about both addressing their issue and gaining a loyal customer.
Listen Up
That might mean hearing things you don’t want to or letting your customer get a little loud (within reason). Hear them out. Don’t attempt to fix anything until you’re certain the customer has been heard. Always address their concerns in your response to the best of your ability. Make it a habit to repeat back the complaint a customer is making, such as “I understand that our sales rep was disrespectful to you,” then offer possible solutions. Be sure the solution fits the complaint. Avoid insulting the customer further by offering a coupon or discount without addressing their issue.
Avoid Squabbling
Few things will make your business look worse than a petty back-and-forth with a customer. Exchanging insults, taking a condescending tone, and failing to address the issue won’t just further irritate the complainer. They’ll make you look bad to everyone. Attempt to resolve the issue publicly first. If the customer appears intent on arguing, ask them to email or DM you more details. This lets you take the conversation out of the public view, while putting the onus on the customer to calmly send you more details if they truly want to reach a resolution. If they only came for an argument, asking for information will end the exchange with your business looking good.
Delete or Don’t Delete
In rare instances, it is best to delete comments. For example, when racist social media trolls flooded a MAC post featuring a stunning image of a model’s lips sporting a new lip color, the company deleted all the hateful comments and addressed the racism in their Instagram bio.
In most cases, though, deleting negative comments is a missed opportunity. A public one-star review on Facebook invites potential customers to look more closely. How you respond helps new customers form an opinion of your brand. If the sheer number of comments on a particular entry is too much to deal with individually, address the issue directly in the bio section of your profile or with a pinned post.
While you might not be able to please everyone, it shouldn’t stop you from trying. Some unhappy customers just cannot be appeased, but doing your best to address the issue and offering stellar customer service will display the best of your brand to everyone who sees the interaction.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
Share love, share Insightly: Refer Insightly, Receive a Reward.
