Dealing With Online Complaints

In the internet age, customers are far from timid when it comes to giving negative feedback. Armed with newfound anonymity, unhappy clients can visit any and every online review site and social media outlet to tell the world about their bad experiences with a company ‒ and they're not always kind about it. 

These complaints can be tricky to manage. But there are some practical ways to handle negative online reviews about your business. Here are some of the resources and tips that we find most helpful. 

Increase your awareness. It's difficult to manage online complaints if you don't know they exist. There are numerous ways you can stay informed on what people are saying about your company. First, sign up for Google Alerts. This system will notify you whenever your business is mentioned on the web, alerting you to possible bad feedback. You can set preferences for how often you receive notifications and which sources and regions to monitor. 

Another way to stay in the know is by keeping tabs on popular review websites. Visit sites like Yelp, Angie's List, and Houzz on a regular basis to check on your company page and look at what users are posting. Chances are, not all of your past customers have been totally satisfied, and they might be sharing some issues that need to be dealt with. (Of course, you'll probably find some positive comments, too ‒ don't let bad feedback keep you from patting yourself on the back for the jobs well done.) 

Review sites are not your only concern when it comes to online complaints. We all know how easy it is to vent on social media ("Ugh, my neighbors are so annoying! #moving"). Keep an eye on popular websites like Facebook and Twitter to see if clients have left any negative remarks about your business or the work you've done. There could be some very damaging words being posted to your company's page. 

Address the issue. Once you're aware that there's been a problem or that a customer was displeased with your services, it's time to do what you can to mend the situation. One of the most commendable attributes of any company is their ability to respond gracefully to negative feedback. This is your opportunity to show the public that you can be professional and accommodating no matter the circumstances. 

First and foremost: apologize. Whether you're in the right or the wrong, you need to let the customer know that you recognize and respect the fact that they were dissatisfied. "I'm sorry" should be one of the first things out of your mouth. 

Next, contact the client and find a resolution. It's true that some clients will be angry for the sake of being angry. In these cases, there might not be a way to repair the problem; you can't make everyone happy. However, most customers will be open to working things out. If you or your team are clearly at fault, offer to fix or re-do the project so that it's up to par. If there was a misunderstanding about what the customer wanted, provide some options for modifications or, if necessary, a partial refund. 

Finally, it's essential that you know when to give in. You don't want to lose valuable time or money, but engaging in an argument with the customer could very well hurt business in the long run. This is where we invoke the motto that "The customer is always right". In reality, the customer could very well be completely off the mark. But if you want to build loyalty and maintain a successful business, it's important to make customer needs your top priority. 

Avoid future complaints.  One way to manage negative online reviews is to work at avoiding them altogether. Try to tackle possible problems before they hit the internet by following up with clients after the job and confirming that everything went according to expectations. You might find that things did not go as well as you'd thought, and you'll now be able calm discontented customers before they share their grievances with the general public. Check out our blog post on customer reviews for more useful follow-up methods.