Before social media and social networking there used to be what was called “word of mouth advertising.” This form of advertising could be the most cost effective way to spread word about your business; however, it could also do a lot of damage to a business’ reputation. Customer service is what keeps bringing back business after a customer has already tried a product or service. Businesses now have to battle social media because sites like Facebook and Twitter can only magnify “word of mouth” implications.
If your business is involved in social media (I certainly hope it is) you likely have a Facebook page and hopefully at least a Twitter account. You can reach customers at an informal level and converse with them about their needs without them even coming to your place of business via these social media channels. Nobody is perfect and one day you will likely anger a customer by not providing the best possible service you can provide, and it is also just as likely this customer will have many social networking accounts they will be posting in. Remember in the public eye the customer is always right.
If a follower or fan posts negative feedback about your business
This can be a lot easier to monitor because many times they’ll post it directly on your wall or include you in their tweet. If a customer posts negative feedback about your business here are steps to rectify the situation:
- If you’re not already following or a friend with this person do so immediately
- Send a private or direct message to the customer apologizing about their situation and ask what you can do to help
- Publicly apologize to their post or tweet. Let everyone else know you have heard the client
- Do not stop working with the client until the situation is resolved
- Once resolved post on the client’s and your accounts you were happy to take care of them
- Send a final private or direct message to the customer apologizing about the situation again, and you were happy to take care of them in their time of need.
Someone you don’t know posts negative feedback about your business
This may be more difficult to find if they are not a friend, fan or follower to your business, but you must remain diligent and make sure the client is happy. You can monitor these things by doing searches or using Twitter Search to monitor posts about your business, products or services. Should you find someone is posting negative feedback about your business first introduce yourself and follow the steps above.
Someone writes a negative blog post about your business
Monitoring the internet for customer feedback about your business can take some time, but you want to make sure that you always try to spin a positive result from a mistake made or negative feedback. If you find a blog post with negative feedback about your business try doing the following:
- Leave a comment on the article letting them know you read about their experience, and you are eager to solve the problem
- If they have links to their social networks follow them and befriend them
- Work to resolve the issue and leave a final comment on the post letting them know you are happy to take care of the problem and look forward to their return business.
Someone posts positive feedback about your business
Be sure to thank them! Letting them know you are happy to take care of their needs lets the customer know he is important to your business. Others will see this interaction as well and you may have converted someone to becoming a lead or customer.
What other suggestions do you have or tried to take care of a customer using social media?
