How Brands Should Respond to Customer Service Issues

The age-old saying of “the customer is always right” is still relevant. Only now, they have a megaphone. With social media platforms becoming the main place to voice customer complaints and compliments, the good reviews are great and the negative reviews can be even louder. We have three recommendations for how brands should respond to customer service issues on social media.

 3 Tips To Keep In Mind While Responding To Customer Service Issues

Respond Promptly

Most importantly, brands should respond to customer-service issues promptly. The lack of response or acknowledgment will only add fuel to the fire. We recommend a social listening platform or resource to make sure you’re receiving real-time feedback. We use Sprout Social, which pulls all engagements from every platform, into one screen for us to sift through during the day. Of course, if a social media listening service isn’t in the budget, setting aside hours in your day to scan your platforms for comments and reviews is a great place to start.  

Although, the focus of this blog post is addressing the negative comments – don’t neglect your fans either. Be sure to respond to the positive comments just as frequently! Making your fans feel special and seen is the best way to ensure they stay around! 

Stay Humble

I know, I know… sometimes this can be hard. Especially in the fresh produce industry when there is a lot we can’t control by the time the produce leaves the field and ends up at a consumer’s home. However, approaching these comments or reviews with humility will take you a lot further than being defensive.

We recently hosted a Marketing Matters webinar on reaching “Gen Z.” The interesting thing about Gen Z, is they can sniff out “fake” quicker than any other generation. What I mean by this is simply answering or responding to a comment to mark it off your list won’t suffice. They want to see that you actually mean what you say! If you say you care about sustainability, they’ll want to see that in action. If you say that you give back to the community, show them how. 

Be Solutions-Oriented

Have you ever had a problem with an order and a customer service agent simply responds with “sorry to hear that” and then you hear a *click* on the phone? It’s completely frustrating because your problem wasn’t solved. Our social media responses need to be solutions-oriented. If the consumer is needing information (and your website provides the answer) be intentional about driving them to your website. If they have a complaint that needs to be addressed, don’t be afraid to have them email a specific customer-service agent at your company. Not every complaint needs to be addressed in front of millions of people online – simply share an email for them to reach out to make sure their problem is. 

The social media age we’re living in means no customer-service issue is too big or too small. Brands have to be actively listening and watching to make sure consumers know they can trust your brand. Ensuring your responses are prompt, humble and solutions-oriented can have the power to turn your complaints into praise. 

Do you not have enough time in your day to “listen” to your social media platforms? Contact us – that’s what we do!{{cta(‘c51e313a-a875-4361-bbd3-bea78a505011′,’justifycenter’)}}