Handling Negative Comments on Facebook and Google Plus Pages

One of the concerns keeping businesses from social media is the fear of bad publicity. In this world of mass communication, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” is no longer a truism. However, if you are a business dedicated to excellent customer service and superior products, you have nothing to fear. You must also have a concrete plan in place for dealing with negative comments and reviews.

When Criticism is Warranted

Take advantage of this extra layer of customer service auditing! Rather than reflexively deleting the p

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ost or comment, thank the customer for their input. Use their insights to improve. Respond publicly, but make an effort to continue the conversation offline by providing your direct telephone number.

You may well find that this negative publicity suddenly turns positive!

What if a negative comment is unfair or malicious?

You may wonder though, what if someone is mistaken, or maliciously posts something untrue negative about our business? You could ignore the post and allow your fans to defend you, or respond as you would to any valid complaint. You may be able to tactfully make it clear that they are mistaken.

For example, last week, one of our Home Instead Senior Care customers was unfairly criticized on their Facebook Wall. Their community manager immediately contacted the owner and walked him through an appropriate response. Although the poster apparently had the wrong office (the employee she was criticizing did not work at his location), he was able to make his office look really good!

After mentioning that he didn’t have a caregiver by that name, he posted his phone number and invited the poster to call him, assuring her that, “I would to help you in any way that I can” and signing his name. The poster replied, “Thank u so much, I sure will.”

Just like that, a disgruntled poster feels better, and anyone seeing the comment stream on their wall knows that this is a company that cares about their customers and reputation.

Have you had negative comments on your Facebook Wall? How have you handled them? Has anything positive come of it?

Continue reading here: Email Marketing- The ‘Old-Fashioned' Method That Blows The Rest Away!

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