Handle Customer Service Issues Offline
Written By: Shannon Briggs
We’ve all seen the cases that have gone viral. A customer leaves a bad review online. Then the business owner responds with a less than customer-service friendly response. And then the downward spiral of online arguing begins.
Nobody wins in this situation. The customer rarely feels a sense of resolution, much less a desire to return to the business. The business owner has now lost not only one customer, but potentially many more because of the poor handling of the situation.
This is why businesses should ALWAYS handle customer service issues offline.
You know the old saying “never air your dirty laundry”? Well, it applies to the digital age too. Handling these situations in public will only make you look unprofessional. It does not matter whether this customer is “right” or “wrong”. (And no, the customer is not always right.) What matters is not what was originally said, but how you handle the situation.
Instead of commenting right back with how you feel about the situation, I would encourage you to say something along the lines of “I am so sorry to hear about this. We take all feedback seriously and would like to speak with you further about this. Could you please private message me your contact number and the best time to call?”
This shows the original commenter and any other potential viewers that you do listen to your customers and work to resolve issues. It does not show, however, exactly how you handle each situation.
Most of the time, you will not get a response. Truly. Most people just want to vent and move on with their lives. However, when you do receive a follow up message with the contact information, you get valuable feedback from a customer who is invested in your business. Call them. By following up through a phone call, you 1) eliminate any messages that could be screenshot and potentially used against you and 2) show the customer that you do value their business and want to rectify the situation.
What you say and how you choose to rectify the situation is up to you. Maybe it’s just an apology. Maybe it’s a discount. Maybe it’s another attempt to fix the situation. But acknowledging the situation is the biggest step.
Most people just want to feel heard.
