Whether your garden brand has received negative feedback online or not, it is important to be prepared and understand how to handle these situations before they happen.
The reputation management agency, Igniyte, says that more than 52% of business owners thought their firm had suffered as a result of negative posts online.
Instead of letting negative feedback hurt your business and potentially turn customers away, learn how to handle the situation properly and build trust.
Continue reading to learn 3 tips on how your garden brand should handle negative online feedback.
1. React Quickly
Be quick to acknowledge that there is an issue, but speak on the basis of what you know. You can’t react efficiently if you make something up or make promises you can't keep.
When responding to negative feedback, it is necessary to keep in mind that you are representing your entire company, people, products and brands.
Promptness is crucial -- acknowledge the customer’s issue ASAP. You want to respond even if you don’t have an immediate solution.
Be open and engage with the customer about what happened and follow up with concrete actions to set the issue right. Try to take the rest of the conversation offline.
Most of all, know when to apologize and take responsibility for a situation.
Follow up with some tangible evidence such as a coupon or voucher to enforce your apology.
2. View the Situation Through the Eyes of the Customer
It will be easier to respond to your customer if you look at the situation from their perspective.
Engaging with customers who are upset by listing excuses implies displacing blame, and does not make the customer feel any better.
In the end, what is relevant is that they were caused some sort of inconvenience. Work with the customer to figure out how to make the situation right.
Many times, the reason customers post negative feedback is because they don’t think they are being heard. So be sure to pay attention, and listen to your customers.
3. Take it Out of the Spotlight
Another important factor when dealing with negative feedback is taking it to a place where it can be more appropriately handled.
Consumers may be reluctant to soften up when engaging on a public site. Suggest contacting the customer by phone or email to discuss the issue in a more personal manner.
If you know that their claims are untrue, your best plan of action may be to discuss the issue as mentioned above and also provide facts that support your brand’s stance to show other consumers the real picture.
