When Customers Attack: Turning Negative Comments into Opportunities

As more brands are making their way to social channels, knowing how to deal with negative comments addressed to their brand or store is becoming a real issue.  Frequently customers will voice their
disappointment with the brand through social channels, only to be ignored and
forgotten, causing more frustration and angry messages, viewable by hundreds of
their friends.

However, if you deal with them properly, these bad situations can become great opportunities to create raving fans. Each incident is an opportunity to have a one-on-one interaction with a customer and see exactly what issues are happening with your brand. It is both independent feedback on what's going on at a store level and opportunities to put a helpful human face on your brand.

Here are some tips on dealing with negative comments.

1. Negative comments are an opportunity.  The first step in dealing with negative
comments is to look at the situation from the right perspective.  Whether the customer interacts with you in
store or on your Facebook page, these touchpoints directly reflect your brand. This
is as an opportunity to provide positive customer experience, to turn negative
into positive. Nobody raves more about a brand than someone who had a bad
experience that was responded to quickly and in a way that resolved the issue
and turned it into a positive experience.

2. Respond quickly. Social media users are
accustomed to quick response time. Nothing irritates a customer more than reaching
out to a brand and waiting days to hear back. You may be used to snail mail but
social media users expect a reply within a few hours, if not in real time. One
day can be viewed as an eternity. Even if their request will take a while to
resolve, make sure to send a personalized respond acknowledging that the
customer has been heard and progress towards a resolution is being made. This
may not solve their problem, but it will alleviate some of the frustration the
customer is feeling.

3. Keep calm. No matter what happens, do
not lose your cool. Remember that you are representing the brand, not just yourself.
Although things can get personal, this isn’t an attack on you but an expression
of frustration. Don’t make things worse by losing your cool or entering a
debate match. If the issue is your fault, offer a sincere apology and some way
to mend the relationship, like a special coupon or free product upgrade.

4.
Privacy. When the conversation
trails off into a sensitive area, like asking for contact details, move the
conversation to a private channel. There is a number of ways in which you can
handle this: from asking them to email you, continuing the conversation through
direct/private message functions of the social media channel or providing a
phone number they can call with the name of someone to ask for. 

5. Policy and training. Don’t wait until something
bad happens. Developing and implementing a social media policy will give your
employees a clear game plan on what to do when difficult situations arise.  The second part of implementing a policy is
training: make sure people who touch your social channels know what the policy
is and go through annual training. 

Conclusion
As a representative of your brand it is your duty to provide a positive
customer experience, regardless of what channel you are on. Social media
presents a unique challenge because you are expected to deliver results quickly
in an environment where everybody watches your reaction. Having a social media
policy in place will provide a clear road and the right action in the time of uncertainty.

Also,
the proper handling of a bad situation can create a strong and lasting bond not
only with that customer, but with the friends and family they will tell about
the experience. So, go forth, embrace those negative comments and make some
fans!

Dmitri Pivtorak, a fan of fans.

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