• Be polite – even if the complaint is nothing to do with you. Even if the customer has got a business completely mixed up with another, or is being totally unreasonable. Take the high road, and apologise where appropriate to do so
• Take the conversation offline – If the customer is persistent or aggressive, once a response has been given in a public forum, offer to take the conversation somewhere private – whether that’s email, direct messages or over the phone. It’s bad PR to have a blazing row on for all to see on a Twitter account
• Offer refunds where necessary – If the business has somehow messed up – it happens – it should offer to make it right. This might be a voucher for money off or a refund According to the Consumer Action Monitor report, the minimum reparation expected by consumers if they have a poor experience or get lumbered with a defective product is the business in questions “making the problem right” (69 per cent). Consumers also expect an apology (52 per cent), an improved service (33 per cent) and financial compensation (27 per cent). Ultimately however, it’s reassuring to know that messing up once doesn’t necessarily spell disaster for a business. Things go wrong, life happens, and as long as you take pains to make it right, you can easily protect your online reputation.
This article is part of a wider campaign called the Scale-up Hub, a section of Real Business that provides essential advice and inspiration on taking your business to the next level. It’s produced in association with webexpenses and webonboarding, a fast-growing global organisation that provides cloud-based software services that automate expenses management and streamline the employee onboarding process.
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