As a company you aim for maximum customer satisfaction, whether you are active in the business to business or business to consumer market. And yet it is virtually impossible to never encounter customer dissatisfaction. Mistakes are made wherever people work, including in your company. However, with the advent of social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, your customers are increasingly finding their way to publicity faster and easier. A complaint via Facebook is quickly placed! Companies like KPN see more than 1.000 mentions of their brand per day on Twitter alone. You can imagine that such companies have a day job keeping track of all this. But your company will also be talked about and complained about, no one will be spared. How do you deal with that? What do you do with 'webcare'?
Complaints and detection through monitoring
Where complaints used to be aired in small groups, such as at birthday parties, they are now publicly presented on the street. Your organization is therefore a lot more vulnerable than a few years ago. The first step towards a professional solution is to determine that your company is being talked about on social media. You can tackle this through monitoring. Monitoring systems can monitor for you (for a fee) when your company is appointed. Isn't this worth money to you? Then you can always look for cheap or free tools, as they are also available.
Pick up professionally
Handling social media complaints, also known as webcare, requires a different approach than handling complaints by phone. On social media, people communicate much more informally and use shorter texts than elsewhere. You will have to adapt to this! So, no long formal texts, but short and concise informal answers and solutions. No formal address, but informal address! Always realize that what you say is visible to everyone. It is therefore even more important than with telephone service to remain polite and not get carried away. At Kenneth Smit, we offer training on handling complaints. Many of the lessons discussed there also apply to webcare. For example, it is important to be able to see what kind of person you are dealing with. If someone is particularly emotional, it might be wise to let them cool down for a moment before responding. Through role-playing, practical examples, and practice runs, you can fully prepare yourself for what awaits you online.
Service recovery paradox
The fact that the complaints on social media are visible to a large audience makes your company vulnerable. On the other hand, it is also a huge opportunity. If you respond quickly and efficiently to the complaint and come up with a solution, there is a good chance that your customer will be more positive about your brand rather than negative. This phenomenon is called the service recovery paradox. And the best part... this is also visible to everyone and therefore great advertising for your company!
Turn a complaint into your strength
Handling complaints on social media can therefore have a very positive effect on your business. However, it is crucial to address them properly, professionally, and above all, quickly, because customers have little patience. Turn a complaint into your strength, ensure satisfied customers on social media, and thereby publicly improve your company's image. Are you ready? Or do you need extra help? During media training, you will learn how to maintain control during a media appearance.
