Social Media 101 – How to Reply to Complaints
With social media ever present, customers are taking to the various platforms to complain when they have a negative experience with brands. Here are our top tips on responding to complaints on Social Media…
1. React quickly – being responsive to a complaint shows you are willing to take responsibility and that you care about customers experiences. This also stops the issue from growing. Always try to respond within an hour.
2. Be aware – set up notifications on when your brand gets mentioned so that you can reply. This means that you don’t miss any message, as well as allowing you to reply quickly.
3. Make it personal – demonstrate that you care and you will listen to what the customer has to say, by tailoring your response to their specific issue or question. The more personal you can make the responses, the better. A great way to do this is to address the customer by their name if it is displayed.
4. Thank them – for contacting you and be understanding of their frustration. Stay professional and remain calm, even if the customer is frustrated
5. Make it private – if the case is too complex to fix within a few messages, it may be best to take it to a private message. This also allows you to steer the conversation away from the public’s eye, meaning that you can control the situation better.
6. Apologise – saying sorry is powerful, and will let customers know that you admit wrongdoing from the brand. Be sure to propose a solution to their issue, whether that be a direct solution, freebie, add on or to try a new service at no cost.
7. Have a plan in place – this should be for your brand, especially if you have more than one person replying to Social Media mentions. Have a policy on how and what you reply, when to take it off social media and to another channel (private messaging or email) and how critical issues are dealt with. This ensures that your customers all get the same treatment and allows you to keep up a good standard and be consistent with responses.
Responding to your prospects and customers online is worth the time and investment, and can in fact drive loyalty and wow customers. This is also a differentiator for a defining factor that will set you apart from competitors.
Related Services
Social Media
We can help mange your Social Media presence on a variety of platforms through posts and ads campaigns.
