I was recently asked a few questions by one of our clients to comment on how a business can deal on social media? Much of this is based on services we provide for our clients.

How important is it for business owners to learn how to manage customer complaints on social media?

It is absolutely crucial that small business owners learn when and how to manage customer service issues on social media. As consumers, we are giving new meaning to the phrase “I want it my way.” In an era of McDonalds Happy Meals and single people getting dates delivered to their email faster than you can blink, our expectations as consumers have gone up. On the flip side, as business owners we have to meet that demand. Your customer may prefer to call your toll-free number or send you an email or chat with you live on your website or send you a message on Twitter. Yes, the list is long. But, the goal is to provide your customers with choices, because as consumers we will settle for nothing less. This doesn’t mean that you have to respond to every message or tweet within seconds. It just means that you are listening to your customers, and making a genuine effort to be of service to them – on the platform of their choice. All good businesses require systems, and offering customer service through social media is no exception to the rule.

If we see something negative, we are much more likely to believe it as true vs. when we see something positive. A negative comment, when truly constructive, can be a great opportunity for the business to “walk the walk."

Let’s say an unhappy customer posts negative comments on what should be a business owner’s first steps?

The first step when faced with a negative comment is to analyze it. Is the complaint truly constructive, and is this truly a distraught customer you are dealing with?  Unfortunately, this is becoming a larger issue. In which scenario, I’d recommend responding promptly and courteously to the customer. At the end of the day, people realize that businesses make mistakes because human beings run them. They will judge you (the small business owner) based on how you deal with a situation, vs. the situation itself. I am more impressed when a business or individual takes the time to say “sorry, let us make it better” vs. turning a blind eye.

Are there any “golden rules” or “best practices” business owners should follow when monitoring social complaints and dealing with them?

When we work with our Back 2 Basics Marketing clients, we ask them to follow some Golden rules. 1) Work on building a positive brand before you need it. A restaurant that gets just two negative reviews is going to feel the pinch a lot more than a restaurant that has thirty positive and two negative reviews. Encourage your happy customers and clients to share their experiences online. 2) Make the most of free websites like socialmention.com to keep a check on your brand. Even a weekly search will do. 3) Do not censor truly constructive comments – even if they are negative in nature. Feel free to delete (when on your website or Fan Page), comments that are cruel, discriminatory, violent, or vulgar. If you have a Facebook Fan Page, take the time to create a Fan Page policy – one that clearly states the intent of your online platform (customer service and feedback for example) and what you will not tolerate. Then, you can deal with the comments and interaction there based on your pre-set policy.

How can businesses turn these negative situations into positive ones—and ultimately protect their integrity?

By cultivating positive relationships online and offline, and dealing with the negative comments and complaints in a timely and courteous manner. For information on Back 2 Basics Marketing social media services and how we can help lighten your load, call us at 636.293.5958 or check out our website at www.back2basicsmarketing.com or Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/Back2BasicsMarketing.

Good clients are hard to find and I can honestly say, that my current client base is absolutely wonderful. With luck, hard work and dedication, I have acquired what I am proud to claim as the best client list any ad agency owner could imagine or hope for. I have such diverse and professional clientele, that I want to work around the clock to ensure all your needs are met. I understand how difficult it is to manage a small business, because it is what I do every day, and my number one priority each day is ensuring that my team at Back 2 Basics, Marketing is putting all of you first. You all rely on us, but did you know that we also rely on you?

We depend on you to make us all successful. We depend on you to provide the information we need – on time.  We depend on your constructive feedback to make us a stronger firm and more efficient team. We depend on you to provide your customers with the best care in each of your respective industries, making us proud to promote your organizations. We depend on you to communicate your needs and requests clearly, and to be available to answer questions relating to your projects. We depend on your integrity and your desire for a strong relationship with us.   

Each of you continues to enrich my life, and the lives of my team, and we are all grateful to call many of you friends. All of you are doing great things, leading the way in your fields and serving your communities. All of you work tirelessly to continue educating yourselves and continuing to deliver the best solutions to your customers. So, this week, I am dedicating my blog post to all of you. Thank you. 

Marketing and Public Relations efforts do more than connect your business with those who may wish to purchase your products or utilize your services. As a Marketing and Communications professional, I always consider the target audience first, however there are other people looking to learn more about your business. The number one place potential employees go to acquire knowledge about your business is the web. Having a professionally designed and easy to navigate website is essential to developing your business’ talent pool.

Web design can be as complex or as simple as we chose to make it. A clean, straight forward and organized site can make a big difference in how a potential employee views your organization. If it is difficult to figure out what you are selling, that can drive talent away from your business and straight to a competitor. We are always looking for ways to streamline website development for our clients, ensuring that your business is presented to job seekers as a responsive, responsible and high performing company. Ask yourself if you maintain your career section as well as you could and how often your postings are updated or deleted as they change.

Hiring new talent can be a time consuming process, time taken away from daily functions to focus on filling a position, means time away from focus on overall business objectives. Give potential employees the information they need to be successful at the time of the interview by ensuring your web design is straight forward, easy to navigate and contains up-to-date information about the company and job openings. Even if a potential employee chooses not to apply with your firm, you stand to gain a customer or client; and that my friends, is web design at its best.
 

Having to call a customer service line for help is one of the most frustrating and time-consuming events in a person’s life. I don’t think that statement is an exaggeration either, but after some experimentation trying to come up with ways to cut through the tangled mess of it all, I have learned a few things that oddly enough save me time. Check it out:

In the first place, I noticed if I call at certain times I get through faster. For example, if I call on a Monday first thing in the morning I am listening to their annoying music for up to an hour before talking to a human being. However, if I call on a Tuesday or Thursday right after lunch time, I’ve noticed that my wait time is cut down quite a bit.

Secondly, I always make sure I am completely prepared for the conversation prior to calling. I know all those silly numbers they are sure to ask me for, I know what I am upset about and I have an objective before I pick up the phone. The second I hear a human’s voice, I give them a 90 second run down of the issue, what I expect the company to do about it and I even include a timeline for resolution. The customer service rep will know right away if my call has to be fielded to a supervisor or manager or if they can just get the problem resolved on their own.

Next, I learned that more and more organizations are engaging with consumers on their Facebook or Twitter pages. Several organizations will monitor and respond to posts by their customers. Email addresses to a generic customer service inbox might get lost or buried in cyber space. Facebook and Twitter provide a forum for consumers to interact directly with the company, without the long wait holding the line.

Finally, there is a place where we can all go to get phone numbers that lead directly to a human being in the company, circumventing those nasty automated systems. You can find several of these handy numbers on sites like gethuman.com and fonolo.com, I use this all the time and believe me; it works!