To Reply or Not to Reply
We’re certain you take critical precautions to protect yourself from a bad online reputation, however, customer complaints and negative reviews online are bound to happen at some point or another.
Knowing how to respond to customer complaints online can be tricky. Many believe that ignoring the complaint is the best option, but consider how this might play out in real life. If a person walked up to you to complain, you would respond. You’d listen to his or her complaint and try to diffuse and remedy the situation.
According to a study by Maritz Research and Evolv24, 70% of online complaints are ignored. Social media has given consumers an entirely different way to engage with service providers and brands, which means it’s critical that if someone makes the effort to bring something to your attention, you should respond—before your silence backfires and the rant spreads.
Here are three reasons why you should never ignore customer complaints on social media:
1. Customers Don’t Like Being Ignored
Customers typically take to social media to complain because traditional avenues have disappointed them. When they take to social media, they’re usually incredibly angry. Ignoring them only further provokes them and fuels the fire.
One study found that the way you treat a customer on social media has a large impact on their feelings towards you. It revealed that 45% would be angry if ignored and 27.1% would stop doing business with the company or individual completely.
Another study found that 50% of customers only give brands or individuals a week to respond to a complaint. After a week, they stop doing business with the company or individual. It also found that 89% of customers started doing business with a competitor brand after a bad experience.
2. Other Potential Customers Are Watching and Waiting
On social media, everyone—or almost everyone—is watching, including your current and potential clients. A Conversocial study found that 88% of customers were less likely to do business with someone who ignored complaints on social media.
How you respond (or don’t) to a client complaint can directly impact future leads.
3. You Can Turn the Negative Complaint into Something Positive
Angry clients just want to be heard; they want you to listen and be empathetic towards their feelings and experience. Even if you can’t completely solve their problem, listening can help diffuse the problem and get you back into their good graces.
The Maritz Research study found that 83% of customers who complained really liked that they received a reply. In addition, an Oracle study found that 22% of customers who received a response from a complaint then went on to post a positive comment about the company or service provider.
Listen Online
One way to listen online is to set up Google Alerts for any time your name or company name is mentioned. Listen to the conversations your clients or potential clients are having. Respond to any positive or negative comments you receive. You don’t have to remedy the situation via social media, but respond with direct contact information and redirect any complaints into a private exchange.
Keep these customer complaint tips in mind when resolving any issues:
- Listen without interrupting
- Do not argue, justify, or make excuses
- Acknowledge the complaint and concerns; be empathetic and offer further steps to take
- Apologise and thank the customer for communicating the issue
By ignoring customer complaints on social media, you can further provoke clients, lose potential clients, and miss the opportunity to turn something negative into something positive that shows you care about customers.
Bonus Tip: Read our post “Tips for Creating Your Real Estate Social Media Policy,” for advice on how to develop a well-thought-out policy that outlines your strategy for dealing with complaints on social media in the most effective way.
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At iProperty, we provide leading online property management and real estate software, responsive websites, and more.