5 Ways To Handle Angry #Clients on #SocialMedia Like a Pro!

Anger is an #emotion that spreads much more widely and quickly across the social network and you as a business are bearing witness to it. You've worked so hard to build your #eCommerce #brand and reputation and suddenly one, two, three, fifty customers complain about social media and you start losing your nerve.

The last thing any business owner wants is for his or her business to lose a customer because they were unable to deal with their angry complaint, so in this post, you’ll learn the 5 pro ways your #business can calm down an angry customer on social media:

1. Assess whether the customer is right or not: You know what they say about customers being right? Well, it's not entirely true of course. Famous entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk offers his method of dealing with pissed-off customers.  "I don’t allow them to feel as though they are correct. While I understand their plight, if they are wrong, I want to make sure they understand that. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but I truly believe in it. To maintain customer relationships, sometimes you have to explain the rules". - Gary Vaynerchuk

2. Listen before you respond: The primary reason your customers are angry with social media is that they feel their views aren’t being heard. Before responding to an angry customer on social media, make sure you take the time to listen to their situation in full. The last thing your customers want to see is a copy & pasted reply – in fact, this may only make matters worse, especially if the response doesn’t even apply to your fan’s unique query or situation. With so many comments appearing every day on your social channels, it’s important to realize that while some of the queries may be similar, each customer’s situation is not. In these situations, it’s perfectly OK to use a stock reply, as long as you tailor the response to suit the individual & their unique situation.

3. Don't take it personally but make it personal: Try to think of the context and why the experience went wrong. In other words, show empathy. Sign with your name at the bottom of the message. If on Twitter, use your initials. Make it personal.

4. Don’t make them wait too long for a response:  if there’s one thing that’s going to make an upset customer even angrier on social media, it’s making them wait. While you may be looking into the issue for the customer, not providing a response is actually causing you more harm than good.  You want to aim to respond to the majority of your customers within 2 hours. This doesn’t mean you have to come up with a solution in that time, but do let them know you are looking into it.  This shows them you have acknowledged the issue & are actively working on resolving it.  Never delete a comment from a customer on social media – Their feedback will help your business to grow.

5. Apologize and offer a solution: Don't be too cheesy or too fake. Offer a quick and straight apology and then a solution. Angry customers are running out of patience and you have plenty on your plate too. There's a sense of achievement for you as well to quickly solve an issue. Make it like a game.

Remember that long-term customers create long-term results, so focusing on turning your #customers’ negative experience into a positive one is key for long-term growth & success. Now that you know how to handle negative comments like a pro, How do you handle critics? Leave a comment or a question below.