I read a blog post from Ignite Social Media this morning, “How to Handle Negative Reviews” and it reminded me of a topic from last night’s social media event here at HyperArts…Tisha from Numi Tea brought up the topic of negative comments on their Facebook page and it started a lengthy discussion of the actual benefits of a negative post on a social media site.
Ignite points out that on some sites like Yelp or TripAdviser, the business or organization does not have the opportunity to respond to negative reviews. But if a complaint is made via Twitter, or Facebook or a blog comment, there are several ways to turn that negativity into something beneficial for both parties involved.
WHAT!?!? How can a negative comment be a good thing? Well here are some of the scenarios that the group identified last night:
(In order for these scenarios to work, the interaction between disgruntled consumer and the business representative HAS to happen in public, like on a Facebook Page wall or on Twitter.)
1) Show everyone that you care
A negative person or comment gives your organization an opportunity to publicly help them and turn them into a happy customer.
2) Be the Good Guy
Even if you can’t appease the complainer (who might just be mad at the world!), you are demonstrating that you care in front of everyone, and it will ultimately make you look like the bigger person, and just make them look difficult to please.
3) Reward them, Redeem yourself
You can offer to solve the problem with a refund, gift certificate or repair and assure that the customer will return to your business in the future. Other customers who observe will be reminded of your high quality customer service (see my post about my Best Buy experience for a good example of this scenario).
4) Let the crowd help you
Allow a conversation to happen amongst your followers…some might defend your brand and others might join in the complaining. Either way, you are allowing freedom of expression, and you have the opportunity to respond to all comments/complaints at once, killing multiple birds with one stone.
5) Show that you are not afraid
Thank the complainer for their feedback, reward them for speaking up, and prove to everyone watching that you are a business that WANTS to be held accountable for their actions. You are not afraid of the truth, you are not hiding from your customers, and you are proud of your product.
6) Learn from your mistakes
The negative feedback could actually give you the opportunity to improve the way your company does business, or the quality of your service/products. Admit that you were wrong, publicly share your new policy and your transparency and humanity will attract respect and loyalty. Read a great example of this in Huffington Post, an article from the CEO of Sigg, the water bottle company.
Most of the time when people complain, they have been through a lot of bad experiences before reaching you, the company, so they can have a huge build up of negative energy. The most important thing to remember is STAY CALM, and don’t get involved in anger, bitterness or revenge. You represent your company, and should always remain professional.
