When a business makes the decision to set up a social media profile, they enter an environment where the risks are as great as the rewards.
This decision should not be made lightly. In fact, it should not be made at all if the proper human resources and policies are not in place to deal with very public criticism.
Social media has provided highly visible platforms for any opinion to be expressed publicly. "Keyboard critics" bravely hide behind their screens while anonymous profiles protect their reputations. Slander, offensive insults and threats are tossed around without shame. Would any of the individuals behind such vitriol offer this feedback to the person if they were sitting across from them? Probably not.
It's one thing if the angry trolls of the world comment on a news story or a movie review but what happens if they turn their wrath on your business? Negative feedback and online criticism creates a risky situation that, if you aren't prepared to address it, can make matters much worse.
Not everyone needs a pseudonym; there are many others who will willingly attach their names to the complaints and insults delivered to businesses online.
And on the far end of the spectrum are the customers with sincere complaints that have chosen to communicate their legitimate feedback via social media. And so you have a full range of public commentators from the trolls to the sincere clients, that you need to consider before you respond to social media criticism.
The first big question I hear many business owners ask is "should I even respond to negative feedback?" I usually suggest that, if you were given the same feedback in person, you must ask yourself whether you would use it as an opportunity to make a correction or you'd just turn and walk away. Most customer feedback would be responded to, so that is exactly what you should do online.
Your business's online voice, presence and character should be a slightly more casual version of your in-store personality. Taking the time to listen, acknowledge the situation, apologize for the wrongdoing, and suggest a new course of action/an update/or a solution is the best response. Ensure that whoever is tasked with monitoring and responding to your business's social media queries has a high degree of skill and emotional intelligence.
Being prompt and responding quickly to social media criticism is key. The best way to do this is by using automatic Twitter/Facebook notifications, setting up a Google Alert account, or using search engines like Social Mention. Quick responses will prevent further escalation which happens when others chime in with their related or unrelated feedback. The social media beast is being fed 24 hours a day so don't underestimate the potentially disastrous impact of taking a weekend off from monitoring it.
Keep in mind that there are definitely situations when it is best to take the communication offline, ignore the feedback, or even delete or hide the comments.
I don't suggest this last tactic without great reflection; it is a last resort and should only be used if the customer comments are truly offensive or over the top.
In most situations, the customer simply wants to be heard and their concerns acknowledged. In the case of some social media platforms, it is the limitations of the medium that may contribute to an initial misinterpretation. If you give your customer the benefit of the doubt, meeting his feedback with a good dose of compassion rather than defensiveness, a human and thoughtful response is always your best bet... whether you deliver it online or face-to-face.
Until next week, stay in the black and keep coming back.
