Customer Service DOs and DON’Ts for Social Media First Responders

One day you wake up, and you feel good. You fill your lungs with fresh clean air, and enjoy the soft warm rays of sun shining through your window. Your spouse greets you with a wet, warm kiss and everything in the world is as it should be.

You sit down to a breakfast that tastes even better than it smells. Life is golden.

With a mind full of expectation, you head off to work, eager to get into the fight because you know that today you’re going to win. So, you answer a few emails and get ready to post a few things on social media.

You start by writing a few thank you tweets to your newest followers on Twitter. You laugh at a really funny cat picture on Google+, but when you reach Facebook, lo and behold, there it is, waiting for you like a bad case of poison ivy. Someone has registered a COMPLAINT.

Ugh.

You reel from the shock of it. How could this happen to ME? It just can’t be. My customers love me.

You rub your eyes and look again. And nothing has changed. It’s screaming at you, burning a hole through your computer screen. And, as if the dissatisfaction of your customer wasn’t bad enough, everyone else following you on social media can also see it.

You now wear a scarlet letter.

Honestly, these things are never as bad as they seem. You know you’ve got to respond, but you never want to be too hasty. Take your time. If you do yoga, do some cleansing breaths. This would be a great time to spend a few minutes to gather your thoughts or perhaps go for a walk.

On a scale from one to ten, in terms of human suffering, a complaint on social media might get a three. People live in war zones, battle illness, and go to bed hungry. What you’re looking at here just isn’t that big by comparison.

Customer Service Is My Friend

Anyone who owns a business will sooner or later encounter a dissatisfied customer. The important thing to remember is that in an odd way, situations like this can lead to amazing revelations and even innovation. The trick is in knowing how to approach them.

Start by putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. There could be problems with your service. There could also be problems that have nothing to do with you directly. What’s important is your willingness to get in there and help. That is the critical piece, and can effect a huge win.

The customer IS always right—at least in that they have a problem that needs fixing.

Customer Service Steps To Get Things Moving Toward A Solution

It’s important to remember that some people do NOT want their problems solved. You’ll know pretty soon into the process when one of these situations comes along. In those cases, it’s better to refund money speedily and leave things as friendly as you can.
Cut and run, when the customer is just looking for trouble.

If this is the case, remember to ALWAYS use the language of positivity. Thank them profusely for bringing the problem to your attention. Do so online if need be.

For everyone else, here’s a great way to get things back on track:

1. While you are still on Facebook, reply immediately to their comment, let them know that you’re sorry they’re experiencing trouble, and that you’ll be IN TOUCH in a few minutes.

2. The next step is to contact them privately, requesting an email or phone number where they may be reached.

3. Next, have a list of questions that will allow the customer to unload their frustrations while encouraging them to state their problem.

4. One very good mentor I’ve worked with said it usually works best to have people put their complaint in writing.

Ask them to take a few minutes to gel their ideas and email it to you. A sentence or two will do. It’s hard to solve a problem that isn’t clearly stated. It’s like shooting at a moving target. Until the customer solidifies in his or her own mind what’s wrong, you’re in a difficult position. You could be putting out fires all day.

NEVER add stress to a difficult situation. Clear communication is critical whenever problems need solving. Always make it a practice to gauge people’s expectations.

How can you satisfy someone who doesn’t know what they want?

5. Now that you’ve prepared, make the call. Do whatever you need to put a smile in your voice before you dial. Ask yourself, how would YOU feel if you were in their shoes? Don’t let their impatience or rudeness provoke you. You’re a professional.

A soft answer turns away wrath.

“I can help you with that,” is a great phrase to interject to reassure your customers, that you are hearing their frustration and intend to solve their difficulty.

6. Once you have isolated the problem, make solving it your top priority.

If the solution is going to take a little while, you should follow-up every couple of days to let them know of your progress. Show them you care and that their feelings matter.

If it’s going to take a bit longer, it might be good to issue a refund to them, or at least give them the option. This tells them that you realize the inconvenience. More often than not, they’ll hang in there.

Life After A Customer Service Emergency

Yes, there is life after one of these events—even when it began on social media. I’d like to add, that going through a few of them can really help develop some perspective, some compassion and some healthy skepticism toward perfectionism.

A customer well treated, is a customer who will return to buy another day. Customer loyalty is the REAL gold. When you’ve won a satisfied customer, the fleeting pain of seeing a complaint online is hardly worth the brainpower it takes to think about.

If you want to know how valuable customer loyalty is, ask Apple. People who buy Apple products generally stay with Apple for life.