subject: Managing Customer Complaints In A Professional Way [print this page] The proliferation of social media has really made them such effective channels for getting the word out for any reason. Different social media can be used to spread any kind of information whether good or bad. This is why social media are being used by both companies and consumers worldwide.
Before the popularity of social media, an unsatisfied client would simply ask for the manager and complain right there. The issue could be resolved and if it weren't immediately resolved, then a client has the option to voice his concern to traditional media and to people close to him. Some people do not bother. Today, a client that is unsatisfied with the service provided by a business establishment can take the bad-mouthing online which can cause a negative review to quickly spread publicly. This means that today, there is a bigger chance that a negative impression or a negative review on your business could spread quickly to people beyond the customer's personal social circle.
In the past, it was difficult for a minor complaint to reach a very wide audience. The number of people who would know about the negative review could not go beyond a handful of people that the client had conversations with. The damage often didn't go beyond the client's friends or family.
Today, when a client receives poor service from an establishment, the client can easily go online and express his disappointment. You can almost expect it. With Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and other social networks being major hubs for personal conversations, an unsatisfied customer can easily share his disappointment to the people within his network in various social networks. If a person has a wide online network or very influential online, the negative effect of the negative review can be far-reaching.
Now it would really do your business a lot of good if you can manage customer complaints before they become public relations disasters. Resolve issues immediately so that the damage does not become severe. Taking care of your public image is very important because your image is part of what your clients trust and is a factor that contributes to your sales.
Make sure you can respond to complaints quickly and appropriately. If you have good products, the complaints could be few and far between. Make sure you can respond to these issues quickly. Taking care of clients and offering good customer service just make good business sense.
