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You don’t like to get negative reviews on social media channels but unless you are extremely perfect regarding everything in your business, it will continue to happen. So, here are some tips on responding to negative social media comments in the best possible way.
[Tweet “88% of online shoppers incorporate reviews into their purchase decision.”]
Why should you care as a brand?
Basically, social media is a public platform. Negative comments always attract a huge number of people. Good reviews or comments works as a catalyst in the decision making process. Customers who will read those reviews will judge you on several criteria such as how fast you are in responding and solving those issues, the way you react and reply to those complaints, your urge to make those unsatisfied customers happy etc.
Don’t think that people don’t check those comments, they absolutely do. Responding to negative reviews tactfully is equally important for retaining those complaining people and the whole social media audience who may become your customers in the long run.
[Tweet “Not answering a complaint decreases customer advocacy by as much as 50%.”]
How to handle negative comments on social media?
1. Respond as soon as possible
Your competitors are always looking for a chance to grab your client base. They may contact those angry customers and snatch them from you. So, reply and resolve those issues as soon as possible. You may be busy with other works in your business but that should not be the excuse for not responding to those complaints. Here’s one of the negative review examples to look into!
2. Don’t give any excuse
This is one of the biggest mistakes that should be avoided. Remember the eternal truth, “Customers are always right.” They are already annoyed and giving excuses will make them more irritated. Chances are that they will never return to do business with you.
So how to respond to negative reviews? Reply with something like this, “Very sorry for what happened. We will definitely resolve this ASAP.”
3. Get in touch with the customer privately
After replying to the customer complaint over social media, don’t sit back and relax. Contact that customer privately to open other options for resolving the issue. Here your objective will be to let the customer understand that you are sorry and you are willing to help.
Moving the customer interaction from public to private will always allow you to personalize the overall experience.
Here is another great example!
4. Customer satisfaction should be your top priority
If the complaints are really true then you must resolve those at any cost otherwise one angry customer will tell others about it on social media and in a way it will harm your brand image and it might impact your lead generation through social media.
For example, if the complaint is related to your product then just take it back without asking a single question and refund the money. It’s a great way to show customers that they are valuable for you. It will not be a big loss for you, but your kind gesture will enhance the brand image.
5. Respond to the original post once the issue gets resolved
Always remember one thing: don’t remove any negative posts from your social media company pages. If customers only see positive comments on your page, they will think that you remove all the negative ones. So, be genuine and credible.
If you are too shy to ask a customer for removing his negative review from the page after his issue gets resolved, you always have the option to respond to his original post regarding the solved issue. It will improve your brand image as the rest of the audience will see that you really care for your customers.
Things to avoid:
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Ignoring and deleting negative comments/reviews/complaints on social media channels
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Responding to comments with a defensive gesture
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Approaching without offering any solution
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Taking the customer complaints personally
