Put Out the Fire: How to Respond to Angry Customers on Social Media

5
Jul 2017

Put Out the Fire: How to Respond to Angry Customers on Social MediaInstagram is standing up to social media bullies and trolls with its latest update. The visual platform is releasing a tool that allows users to block out offensive comments. We’re sure celebrities around the country are rejoicing over this one—no need to try and silence the haters when the Gram does it for you!

But this update has not come out of the blue. Trolls are a huge problem for all social media platforms, especially on Facebook where people tend to go on and on about why they’re right, and you’re wrong. These bullies target anyone, from the average Joe to celebrities, to businesses. Kudos to Instagram for rolling out a tool that decreases the negativity we see every day on social media.

Even though the update aims to block offensive comments, it won’t handle all of the work for businesses. Depending on the type of comment, here are three ways you can respond to an angry customer on social media

Respond Publicly

These responses are most popular for two scenarios on opposite ends of the spectrum. For minor complaints that can be remedied with a coupon or discount, you can quickly respond with an apology and their treat. Also, don’t forget to thank them for being a customer.

On the other end of the spectrum is the angry, vindictive customer who makes it clear that there’s nothing you can do to fix the situation. As much as you want to give them a piece of your mind, the best thing to do is to kill these customers with kindness. Remember, current, and potential customers are always watching so address comments with a polite response, explaining the situation and offering up a solution, one last time.

The best way to respond to vindictive customers is to kill them with kindness. Share on X

Respond Privately

When responding to a comment, you should always address it publicly, even if you plan on handling the situation privately. Something along the lines of:

“We apologize that you weren’t pleased with your experience. We’d love to help resolve your issue, so we have sent you a private message to follow up with your concerns.”

If you choose to just answer in a direct message without a public response, it will seem as if you ignored the customer’s complaints, which can turn away potential customers.

Delete/Hide the Comment

This feature is best used on comments that include explicit/vulgar language or spam. Sometimes you come across a follower who wants to leave a pointless comment. It’s best to hide their comment and not respond to encourage them to keep the conversation going. Facebook allows you to hide comments without that follower knowing, so you won’t receive any angry follow-ups about silencing them.

 

Now that you know how to handle negative comments like a pro, let’s work on increasing your star-rating on Facebook!

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