Complaints on social media, what do you do with them?

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'?

Determine 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

Addressing social media complaints, also known as web care, requires a different approach than telephone complaint handling. On social media people talk to each other much more informally and in shorter terms than elsewhere. You'll have to go along with this! So no long formal texts, but short and concise informal answers and solutions. So not 'you', but 'you'! Always realize that what you say is visible to everyone. It is therefore even more important than with telephone service that you remain polite and do not get carried away. At Kenneth Smit we offer a training about dealing with complaints. Many of the lessons we discuss there also apply to webcare. For example, it is important to understand what kind of person you are dealing with. If someone is particularly emotional, it may be wise to let him or her cool down before responding. Through role plays, practical examples and 'dry practice' 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

Dealing with complaints on social media can therefore have a very positive effect on your company. It is crucial to handle them properly, professionally and, above all, quickly, because the customer has little patience. Turn a complaint into your strength, ensure satisfied customers on social media and thus publicly improve the image of your company. Are you ready? Or do you need extra help? During a media training you will learn how to maintain control during a media performance.