With the explosion in social media that continues to grow rapidly it is now more common for business owners to receive customer feedback and complaints via Twitter, Facebook and review sites than face to face , should this alter the way we react to the feedback though?
There have been quite a few reported incidents of business owners biting back to negative reviews posted on social media sites , some going so far as to insult the clients personally, however would these business owners have responded in the same way if the customer was in front of them complaining? Marketing advisors say that reviews posted on social media sites should be treated exactly the same as if the customer was making a face to face complaint, you should think through thoroughly what response you are going to give and how this will be perceived by not only the person complaining but everyone else who has access to the site.
If a review does upset you as a business owner walk away for half an hour and come back to it once you are calmer , is this the first time you have received this feedback ? If not then you may need to admit that there is an issue that needs further investigation. Also if the reviewer has embellished the details to make a great story then tackle the heart of their issue and focus on that being the complaint rather than the extra details that they may have exaggerated. Finally don’t forget that if your reviewer has used social media to air their grievances it is likely they will also use it to share their thoughts on your response.
