Before everyone had a Smartphone or Internet access, unhappy customers would call a customer service line, write a letter or show up at the offending business provider’s store to lodge a complaint. They could fill out a customer comment card or just voice a complaint to a service provider on the spot. All acceptable—and relatively private--methods for a registering customer dissatisfaction. The beef was between the customer and provider, and that’s where it remained. Not anymore.
A whole new breed of customers in love with digital devices have a new way of complaining. This new method isn’t bounded by age, gender or any other demographic qualifiers. New technology can now bring dissatisfaction to the world—in color with pictures and sound. Dissatisfied customers are using social media like Facebook and Twitter as a platform for registering complaints. They can also use online review sites like Angie’s List or TripAdvisor.com to rate service providers.
It’s so easy to blow off steam in 140 Twitter characters, or post a comment on Facebook. So many people use these forums to communicate that social media sites are the new telephone call or letter. It may be a comfortable and quick way to get something off your chest, but it can have far-reaching consequences for the complainer and the targeted company as well.
Going viral with a complaint can be costly. Bad publicity, whether warranted or not, takes on a certain credibility of its own when it reverberates around the globe via social media. But it also can be risky for the complainer. A woman was recently sued for posting a complaint on Yelp against a former classmate and handyman hired to do some work on her house. According to a Business Insider article, “A Woman Is Being Sued For Posting A Negative Review On Yelp,” she said he did shoddy work, damaged her home and even stole some of her jewelry. He sued her for defamation of character. Even though the suit was dismissed before it came to court, the damage was already done.
Few businesses can afford the bad publicity or cost to defend viral customer service complaints. Here are some tips to keep your customers from going viral.
1. Make it easy to complain. Do customers have to search for a customer hotline? Do you have a customer complaint button on your website and email address prominently displayed? Some companies make it almost impossible for a customer to complain privately.
2. Train friendly customer service reps. T-Mobile has friendly service agents who let customers know right away that a) the customer did the right thing to call customer service, and b) they can help them. These two things convey the message, “you’re smart and you will be helped.” That’s music to any customer’s ears. No need to go further.
3. Train knowledgeable customer service reps. If you have a complex, technical product, you need customer service reps that can understand complex technical information and explain it to a non-technical user. Nothing is worse than making a customer feel dumb when she can’t follow a service rep’s instructions because he’s talking way above her level.
4. Make Customer Service reps problem solvers. Give some authority, and when it goes beyond the rep’s level, a quick bump up the ladder to someone who can make a decision. No one likes to be put off or told to call back tomorrow or wait for a manager to call back (which they rarely do).
5. Fix the problem. Instead of one solution, put together a list of options. Customers don’t like the word, “No.” You may not be able to refund the entire purchase price for a six-month-old refrigerator, but can you extend the warranty for another six-month period and have it fixed, or give a discount toward a newer model? Get creative. Choices make customers feel empowered.
6. Monitor your social networking sites and the Internet. Set up a Google alert to let you know when your company’s name or employees are mentioned online. You can head off bad publicity by making a quick response. Respond to online comments and encourage customers to post positive reviews as well.
There is no way to prevent customers from exercising their right to free speech. The Internet has given everyone a soapbox-to-the-world. You can avoid bad publicity by offering customers easy access to your company’s customer service agents and use social media as a marketing tool with positive customer referrals.
Photo Source: Freedigitalphotos.net
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