Negative feedback is a nightmare for any company or professional. Not only does it make marketing just that little more difficult, but it’s a tough thing to swallow. But customers are not our enemy. I think in many instances, customers feel frustrated, and like a disobedient child, they feel their only option if they want to be heard is to get louder.
So, how do we minimize the amount of negative PR we receive?
1- Give Customers a Clear, Easy Way to Complain
Customers will go to the easiest place possible to make their complaint. If they can’t find a spot on your website to provide you with feedback, they’ll go to a social network or other easily visible place to do so. Keep complaints in your control, and on your own servers.
2- Don’t Treat Customers Like a Pocketbook
When customers complain, the main reason to do so is because they want you, the company, to hear them out. If you have them submitting their complaint to a machine, the last thing they want is a response from a machine. They want to know that a human being actually received and read the complaint.
3- Monitor and Be Present
Keep an eye on the social networks and don’t be afraid to speak up when someone complains. Having been on both sides of the fence, I can guarantee you, it often diffuses the situation faster than you’d expect.
4- Acknowledge the Results
“I understand our mistakes caused you to…I can understand how that must be frustrating/aggravating/costly/etc for you.” Regardless of whether you think the complaint is valid or not, the customer still feels the way he or she does. Make sure they know you’ve heard them and acknowledge their feelings.
5- Work With the Customer to Reach a Conclusion
Talk to the customer and find out what they’d like done. Do they just want something fixed, or do they want it replaced? If you get worried about cost, consider the cost of dealing with the negative PR compared to the money you’d spend out correcting the situation. Usually, it’s cheaper to make the situation right in the client’s eyes.
6- “I’m Sorry”
Normally, I’d think this point would be a natural step, but from personal experience, I know this isn’t so. Saying your sorry can have a big impact, so don’t be afraid to say them and mean it. Tempers will cool and you’ll be able to bring things under control.
7- Let Others Know Their Feedback Does Make a Difference
When you end up making changes because someone complained, complimented you, or made a suggestion, let others know it. Once your company becomes known for listening to your customers, people will be less likely to complain loudly. (There’s no reason to raise a mob!)
Ultimately, if you get some bad PR, you get some. You just have to deal with it, and it doesn’t hurt to use the old adage “no such thing as bad PR.” It’s the initial incident that’s bad. How bad PR affects you depends solely on how you deal with the situation. Let me be a little more specific, the result of an incident can be downright tragic, but the PR portion of it can be a highly effective way of improving your business and your marketing. Mistakes are only mistakes when we fail to learn from them, right?
Let me explain: A few years ago, Maple Leaf had a horrible listeria outbreak. It was a pure tragedy and the PR firestorm that followed was, understandably, monumental. However, the company changed its cleaning processes, the owner became visible, and they released a whole new line of natural, organic products. The company also became much more accountable to its customers, which was almost non-existent prior to the incident.
How do you minimize bad PR?