There is no question that posting content and conversing with our audience is the best way to stay engaged and connected online. The more you post, the more people see it, and the more people will begin to engage by responding to your ideas and content.
It's easy to have a conversation when the comments are all in your favor, but what happens when someone has a negative comment or review? First things first- You can not ignore or delete negative comments. To keep your customer service top-notch and your reputation intact you must address and reply to negative reviews and not in a negative way. So how do you respond to a bad review?
Here are three tips to respond to negative comments and reviews:
Pause and Collect Your Thoughts
You might not agree with the negative comment or review, but everyone is entitled to give their opinion. Plus if your business is doing it right, one person’s negative feedback won’t trump your positive feedback. Before you even think about what your response should be, start with focusing on pausing and calming down. Read and re-read what was written and give yourself some time to respond. The goal is to see the situation clearly and respond accordingly, in a way that will be effective and positive.
Dig-in and Investigate the Situation
Find out what exactly happened? This customer probably isn’t complaining for fun or to tick you off, they have real and genuine concern. Maybe it was a bad customer service experience or there was an issue with the product they received. Talk to your employees, find out what they know. Find out what exactly went wrong and what can you do to fix or amend the situation? If you don't have enough information reach out and let the cutomer know you want to help but need a few more details. Give them a direct person that will see the response through to start-finish. It's ok to ask tothe conversation in private and event to contact the by phone or email, hear them out, and offer a solution. But make sure you post on/ below their negative review that you will be contacting them to provide a solution. Remember it's not just the customer that wrote the review that is watching...it's all your other customers/ potential customers that see the post.
Apologize
Both the easiest and the hardest part is the apology. Regardless of how you’re feeling, think about the customer and the others who are watching your every move. Obviously something went wrong, and it’s important to recognize your company’s fault. So, swallow your pride, and apologize. You can say your appology in a way that says
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, We appologze your experience has been less than what you expected... our company prides itself on delivering quality results. We want to make this right"
Don’t seem like the bad guy and get defensive or angry, or worse yet, say nothing. Be genuine and caring and you audience will begin to sing your praises.
Once you’re on the internet long enough, negative comments will come up the same way they could in everyday business. So be prepared and ready for them.
- Keep tabs on your page comments
- Set up Google Alerts
- Have a company policy on dealing with responding
Use negative reviews to turn a bad situation into a positive one. You can build advocates for your brand while the world watches. Show how much your business can provide stealler for customer service.
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