In today’s world people know they’re not perfect. They also don’t expect businesses to be perfect all the time either.
What they do expect is that when a company messes up, that they own up and are accountable. What people want when they have a bad experience with your company is for you to acknowledge them and to provide a solution for fixing the mess up.
When a customer is left disgruntled they will make their feelings heard, and when it’s on a social media platform, it’s going to spread very quickly and influence other people’s decisions to use your business – unfortunately, for every 100 good reviews, it’s the handful of negative ones that tend to linger longest.
Listen and respond tactfully
While it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time – and you’re not expected to – what you do need to do is keep a close eye on all social media platforms and business review sites like Hellopeter.
Once you have found areas of conversation and/or dissent you then need to listen, take a moment, and then respond tactfully.
Reacting by joining in the finger-pointing or passing the buck, instead of responding carefully, can be a slip up that not only results in lost customers in the short term, but can seriously tarnish your company’s reputation.
How to respond
Identify the complaint and address the issue by acknowledging the unhappy customer. Don’t make excuses. “Someone was sick that day,” does not cut it. You need to enhance and leverage the positive by showing that the problem has been identified and that it’s being addressed.
Your response should follow the sentiment of “we hear you, and we’re sorry. How can we make it right?”
Beware poachers
You’re not the only business on social media and your competitors will be listening and waiting to poach unsatisfied customers the minute you trip up. So saying sorry and remedying the situation calmly and professionally is your best approach to keeping customers loyal.
This approach can even benefit your company’s reputation by showing accountability and demonstrating to customers that you listen and you care about their experience.