Words: Bec H
Brand reputation is one of the most critical factors for success for businesses of any size. Businesses with strong positive brand sentiment continue to attract ‘like’ customers, while securing the loyalty of existing customers.
Conversely, businesses with negative brand sentiment will continue to struggle to make sales and profit, if that sentiment is not addressed in a timely and appropriate manner.
The truth is, you could have the most loyal, long-standing customers in existence, but when one or two negative customer reviews or complaints trickle in it may be enough to start planting seeds of doubt. A reputation management process is essential to ensure you and your staff – especially your customer service team – respond to all feedback in a timely and appropriate manner to ensure your business reputation stays intact.
Here’s a guide to understanding the types of customer feedback and how to respond.
The effects of customer feedback
Customer feedback can be divided into two buckets: passive feedback and active feedback. Passive feedback is the feedback given by customers without being prompted, such as a voluntary review or comment made on a brand’s social media posts. Active feedback is requested of the customer, such as surveys.
If the feedback is constructive, then it’s a fantastic opportunity to learn how to improve in certain areas of your business, be it product functionality, services, operations or customer service.
Unfortunately, sometimes feedback is delivered without a silver lining, usually from customers who have had an undesirable experience and are sharing their thoughts in the heat of the moment.
Negative reviews are far more than just words; the impact they have on a brand’s reputation is far greater than you might assume. A study from Zendesk found that 52% of customers will switch to a competitor after one poor interaction. Negative feedback also starts a ripple effect, with 93% of customers feeling the impact of a peer review, whether they purchase a product or not.
If you think brand teams need to put in significant effort to turn negative feedback around, you’re correct. In fact, one bad review will need 12 positive reviews to make up for it!
The good news is that with a solid response plan in place, it’s possible to keep disgruntled customers on side.
Best practices to respond to customer feedback
Whether your business comprises a team of 5 or 500, a robust communications plan and complaint handling process is key to reputation management.
- Build a step-by-step guide for all staff – not just the customer service and marketing teams – to understand how to respond to customer complains. The guide should include target response times, example responses, and an escalation process. The guide should be created in much the same way as a risk register, outlining every possible type of customer feedback and appropriate responses for each.
- Train your staff regularly. Your customer service team and social media managers should receive regular training to stay on the ball when they engage with your customers. This is also necessary as procedures may change as new risks/customer touchpoints become known.
- Respond quickly. Timely response to customer feedback – ideally within 24 hours – goes a long way in risk mitigation; that is, solving a problem before it becomes a bigger problem. Quick responses also make customers feel seen and heard, trusting you to hear their concerns and value their experience with you. Keep in mind that social channels tend to come with a two-hour response window.
- Respond to all feedback. With a communications plan in place, you can efficiently engage with all customer feedback. It’s important to thank customers for great feedback, and just as important to thank customers who left negative feedback. Addressing concerns head on sends a powerful message to customers that you value their interaction with your business, and you want them to have the best experience possible.
- Follow-up. An important consideration. Make the customer feel seen and use the follow-up to invite them to share feedback on their most recent customer service experience. This extra step can sway a disgruntled customer to look at your brand favourably, based on their most recent interaction.
Implementing a robust issues management process is crucial for any business looking to protect reputation and bring all-important consistency to their customer service. By following best practices and developing a comprehensive response plan, you and your team will always be equipped to handle any and all communication from customers, turning potential complications into opportunities for growth.
Keen to build your brand, but don’t know where to start? Start by contacting us! As a full-service digital marketing agency, we have the expertise to create the ideal campaign for your brand.
