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What is the best way to tackle negative comments by consumers on social media? What steps should be followed?

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Question added by Mirza Bilal Asad Baig , Social Media Manager , Snacglobal
Date Posted: 2015/09/30
Stanley Mathew Mbiydzenyuy
by Stanley Mathew Mbiydzenyuy , SEO and digital marketing Director , SEO Elites Ltd

I think everyone here has contributed some good answers. 

You need to listen to the needs of those consumers. Do not ignore them or delete such content. Be sympathetic with a promise of getting things sorted. What about calling the complaint on a one to one level? Sometimes you might need to even offer a refund or a partial refund while they keep the product. Also, make sure to respond to the negative comment once it has been sorted and ask the complainant if they are happy with the resolution provided of which they come back and yes. Once they say, yes, you are on the way to success because thousands if not millions of people will come across it. 

The aim here to is to instigate them to start talking to their friends, peers and family members how "you" the company responded. They are also more likely to share the outcome with their social media friends. 

You then benefit from being a trustworthy, reliable and caring business which then translate to creating and building your brand awareness, equity and market penetration.

Marcelo de Andrade Correa
by Marcelo de Andrade Correa , Owner , Marcelo de Andrade Correa

I believe a quick response is important for negative or positive messages. Letting the costumer know that the company cares about him or her, offering a plausible solution to the matter. This first step should be taken on the same social media where the comment was done. A second step should be taken over the phone if the problem persists. A "human touch" shows respect and a more immediate solution for any problem.

Nick Bristow
by Nick Bristow , Copywriter , OFyt

You are a consumer. You have experienced bad customer service. So put yourself in the shoes of the complainant. As David Ogilvy said, "The consumer is not a chump, the consumer is your wife." How would you want to be treated by the social media manager? Be empathetic, address their concerns (but NEVER knock your own brand, unless you want to be out of a job) and find a way to fix the problem and retain the customer, and possibly gain a few more.

No comments is useless, you need to pay attentions to all your consumers and bring he and she to a better understandy by explaining or finding a solutions if need be.

Syed Waqas Saghir
by Syed Waqas Saghir , Independent Digital Marketing Consultant , Brainy Bulls

Never to delete negative comments, never to ignore, accept the faults (*if it happens already) and take the customer in confidence that is the issue will soon going to resolve, that will increase the social engagement level of the social media platforms.

Hina Naz - Digital Marketing Consultant
by Hina Naz - Digital Marketing Consultant , Digital Marketing Manager , Top Choice Lubricant | Alborj Group

Just follow their negative comments and try to accommodate their needs as per their requirements. Be positive, humble and enthusiastic to solve issue. These action can turn the comments into positive feedback!

Karym Bentebbal
by Karym Bentebbal , Open for an opportunity to bring onboard a wealth of experience and a positive attitude , Private Company

Negative comments could be an opportunioty to show customers that the brand is listening and adapting to customers' voice. It is a great way to learn about your customer and the gap between needs and the product's features and benefits. So in case of bad comments, keep cool and respond without putting down anyone, explaining that you are taking note of the mention and that you will respond after a short investigation. If possible respond in private to the customer then once the issue is solved and you understand clearly what happened, make sure that you will do what it takes to avoid such issues in the future. Talk to customers and tell them you are improving every day and they are helping you to improve what is not performing well today.

This is one of the major challenge in our online world right now, negative feedback that can cost a lot in the business.

The steps would be tedious, that's why today, the business should spend more on customer experience, more man power to handle customer satisfaction.

1. First thing, NEVER Delete the negative comment as it will more infuriate the customer and make sure he will take revenge on posting more negative comments, not only on the particular page but most of your online profiles.

2. Symphatise - Symphatise with your customer experience, by letting them know how it feels to be in that kind of situation

3. Aplogise - The tone of the reply should be apologetic even if the matter has not been investigated yet, aplogise right away.

4. Assurance - Give them an assurance that you will investigate PARTICULARLY their experience

5. Action - Tell them your next action would be, either by calling them after you investigate the problem

6. Offer - Always give them an offer as a sign of your sincere apology of their experience

7. Call - Call them and discussed what happened, what went wrong and offer something, and ensure that they are happy in the solution of the problem

8. Email - After the call, make sure you send them an email of what you have discussed on the phone

9. Reply the Solution on the negative post - it doesnt need to be detailed - but have a thank you post and let everyone know that you have done extra mile to solve the problem

9. Negative Reply Request - When the problem is solved, ask the customer if they can reply back on their negative post by acknowledging your actions to solve their complaint

10. Post a Happy Customer - this is optional, but to make sure your followers know that you are following through the customer complaints, this can be another 'happy post' for your page by telling a story on how you handle the customer's complaint and letting your followers know that their complaints will not be taken for granted but also helps in improving your company, so thank them that!

 

Oh this is an easy one. Negative comments are usually as a result of a poor service/product experience a customer faced or maybe even due to word of mouth. 

 

The best way to tackle this all is to apologize for the inconvenience caused to the customer - Then try to get in touch with the customer on a more personal level rather than commenting on social media alone. 

 

Once you are in touch with the customer, let them rant and you listen to their entire complaint without any word - Once they are done, apologize again and then request them what they would like in order to be compensated for their loss of money/time or even to compensate for the poor experience. 

 

This will make them lighten up and then they will appreciate the brand for being so forward and taking a simple complaint seriously.

 

Remember, NO negative comment is small. I personally complained about the ill-mannerism of one of the customer staff at a clothing store outlet and i posted on social media, before i knew it, it was shared over 150 times and the next day the VP gave me a call to apologize. 

 

Like i said, anything can be blown out of proportion. Do not prioritize your complains as per degrees - respond to them AS THEY COME  - You cannot put importance levels on different customers as they had varying experiences. 

Lokesh Singh
by Lokesh Singh , Assistant Manager Marketing , upGrad

Put a brief description about product or service, and try to understand the customer query and solve the misconceptions about your services or products. Always be open to your customers, don't think they are social media user, they all are your consumer who buy your or experience your product one day.

IMRAN ZAKI
by IMRAN ZAKI , Marketing Consultant , Procure Consulting

Having a social media presence can be a fantastic opportunity for you to engage positively with your customers, however at some point you may find that you have to deal with negative feedback.

Unlike a complaint email which is sent privately to your inbox, a negative comment, tweet or post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram is public, so it's crucial that you address it in a positive way. 

If you do receive negative feedback on social media your followers will judge you based on several criteria: 

  • How quickly you respond
  • Your reaction
  • Your customer’s reaction
  • The outcome of the situation

Make sure that you reply to the negative comment, tweet or post promptly and professionally, in a way that reflects positively on your business.

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