We discuss what you CAN do when someone complains about your products or services in a public online forum such as Facebook, Google Places, Yelp, Twitter, etc, etc. Read what NOT to do here.
So. Somebody thinks you suck. That’s never good.
But if somebody thinks you suck, then chooses to post their displeasure online, that can be disheartening at best and catastrophic at worse, depending on how you deal with it. Which begs the question: how do you deal with it?
It isn’t that hard actually. Here’s what to do:
DETERMINE WHY THE PERSON POSTED THE COMPLAINT
Before you deal with the negative feedback, it’s essential that you correctly ascertain the reason why somebody posted that you suck. There are four possibilities.
Troll / Spam: You don’t suck and the complaint is totally without merit, delivered either by a troll looking to stir up a fuss, or a spammer, (possibly a competitor without ethics,) using the forum to promote an alternative product or service.
Minor Slip-Up On Your Part: You don’t suck, but on the instance the customer experienced your products or services, you failed to deliver the goods to your usual standard.
Difference of Tastes: You don’t suck, your product or service simply isn’t what the customer wanted.
You Actually Suck: Self Explantory.
Ok, now we’re going to review how to handle each one of the four types of complaints, starting with the easiest one first.
Troll / Spam: (NON LEGITAMATE COMPLAINTS)
Easy. Ignore ‘em. Positive feedback needs to be acknowledged with a thank you, and negative feedback needs to be acknowledged with a thoughtful response. But Trolling or spam isn’t feedback… its attack without justification. A response only gives the troller another opportunity to sell their own services, or spew their vitriol for a greater period of time. Kill it dead right away by deleting the message.
End of story.
Minor Slip-up On Your Part:
Believe it not, if you failed to deliver the goods, and somebody calls your attention to it… they’re actually doing you a big favour. And that’s the tone to take when you deal with the complaint.
BE POSITIVE: They’ve given you an opportunity to deal with an issue. Thank them for calling the problem to your attention.
BE PROACTIVE: Let the complainant know what you’ve done to resolve the situation and what you’re going to be doing in the future to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
BE BRIEF: Feel free to write a 3-page response. Include foul language, and insult the complainant’s intellectual sophistication and personal hygiene. Then delete the letter. This type of response makes you look like a goof, but will feel GREAT to write. Once you’ve got the negative out of your system, toss it, then write the streamlined version suggested above.
Difference Of Tastes:
Ok, let’s talk about the last Adam Sandler movie. One guy can leave the theatre thinking it was the funniest thing since poo-on-a-stick, and another can think it was dreadful. Both are correct. Why? This kind of thing is subjective. If somebody doesn’t like the fact your restaurant uses aged cheddar on your burgers, and not the processed cheese they’re accustomed too, they’re neither right nor wrong. Simply briefly explain why you’ve chosen to do it the way you’ve done it, and leave it at that. Don’t be defensive or aggressive in your response.
You Actually Suck.
Again. Easy solution. Stop sucking. If you get a single complaint about a certain product or service, you can assume it’s a one-off, and deal with it accordingly. If you get dozens, or hundreds of complaints about the same issue, then you need to take immediate action.
For example, let’s say forty people all post that your washrooms are filthy. This is good news. Why? Filthy washrooms can be cleaned. A new janitorial service can be hired. The complainants can be invited back to see the amazing new results. ALWAYS BE POSITIVE.
Word of mouth is powerful indeed. Handling unpleasant situations in a gracious, thoughtful and positive fashion can turn things around. In short, by acknowledging your suck-ocity, then detailing how you’re going to eliminate it, you’ll come across as a dude or dudette that’s cool, professional, and knows how to put out a fire. Nobody likes fires. Everybody likes cool.