How Brands Should Handle Negative Comments
We would love to say it will not happen to you, but in all likelihood a negative comment will appear on your social networks at some point. There are plenty of reasons to ignore it, and almost all of them are wrong: silence is often more damaging than the complaint itself, because everyone else on the page is watching what you do next.
Before you decide that social media is not worth the risk, here are four habits that turn an unhappy follower into someone who tells their friends how well you handled it.
Respond quickly
People who take the time to post a complaint expect an answer, and they expect it soon. A complaint left alone tends to grow: other followers add their own stories, and the thread becomes the first thing new visitors see. Set a target, such as a first reply within a few hours during business hours, and make sure someone owns the inbox at weekends.
Be human
A genuine reply from a real person who understands the frustration beats a scripted statement every single time. Sign replies with a first name or initials, use plain words and never copy and paste the same sentence under ten different comments.
Be grateful
If many people are complaining about the same problem at once, such as an outage or a delayed delivery, post one clear update that acknowledges the situation, thanks people for their patience and says when you will update them next. Then keep that promise.
Offer a solution
Sympathy matters, but a fix matters more. Move private details to direct messages, solve the problem and, where it is appropriate, come back to the public thread to say it has been sorted. That last step is the one most brands forget, and it is the one other readers remember.
The same rules apply in every industry. An online casino or sportsbook that gets a public complaint about a slow withdrawal should answer in the thread, take account details into a private channel straight away and follow up publicly once the payment has gone through. Arguing about the terms in front of everyone never wins the room.
| Within the hour | Acknowledge the comment and say who is looking into it |
|---|---|
| Same day | Move personal details to a private message and solve the problem |
| When fixed | Reply publicly that it is resolved and thank the person |
| Never | Delete honest criticism, argue in public or post the same canned reply |