Remember when consumer complaints were handled in a quiet corporate silo that was largely divorced from brand marketing or communications? Angry comments were logged by a call-center worker located in a flyover state, and then forgotten. Not our problem.
Today, an unhappy customer is every marketer's nightmare. People don't just get mad, they get online. They post or tweet their grievances to the world. And not just Facebook or Twitter. There's a cottage industry of sites designed specifically for the ripped-off, pissed-off, and mad-as-hell.
One new site, SocialSmack, has a gaming component reminiscent of Foursquare. You can express "props" or "drops" according to how you've been treated by the cable company, the airline, or anyone else. All have PR and corporate communications pros working overtime to spot and manage reputation issues.
What, then, are the secrets to defusing the online rage of Customer 2.0? How to stave off a flurry of discontent before it becomes a full-blown reputation attack? Though every case is unique, here are some learnings from our experience, and that of our peers.
1. Have a plan.
It's a given, of course. But many companies don't fully plan for an online pile-on, or a single negative experience that goes viral. (Remember the video of the Comcast worker who was on hold so long with headquarters that he fell asleep?). In the case of a true deluge, the window for a brand's response can be measured in hours, not days.
The fact is, the majority of customer complaints are about situations already familiar to the company. Make sure to have a response plan for the five most likely complaint scenarios based on past experience and anticipated changes to products or processes. Among other things, the plan should detail the internal channels of communication and approvals, and identify the on-the-ground team who are trained and prepared to respond.
2. Don't stop at Twitter and Facebook.
Even sites with tiny traffic streams can be highly searchable, and a relatively small following means the complaint is likely to be prominent on the site for months. A good complaint management program monitors for all mentions and covers the spectrum of consumer options.
3. Take it offline.
Most customers just want to be heard. If you can migrate the discussion offline, it's a far more effective - and less public - way of dealing with a one-off problem, and you can interrupt the groupthink that leads to a complaint cascade.
4. Don't get defensive.
Let's face it; anonymity fosters exaggeration, and worse. When Method, the all-natural detergent brand, aired an ad that showed nasty animated soap bubbles harassing a woman as she showered, some users accused it of fostering a "rape culture." Method could have ignored or called out the hyperbole, but it opted for a respectful apology instead.
Nestle's experience with Greenpeace activists who overran its Facebook page wasn't about irate customers, but it did contain a lesson for communicators: flippancy, sarcasm, and defensiveness don't defuse an angry mob; they inflame it.
5. Overstaff the situation.
Would you put an intern on the phone with an irate client? Of course not. Which is why no company should consider placing inexperienced staff on the firing line. Maintaining a civil dialogue is key, and a team of skilled communicators can use language that defends without being defensive.
6. Use a human touch.
Don't try to automate your consumer response. Most complaint scenarios are made easier by just a dash of personality in the communications. Make it clear your representative is an actual person, not a bot, by personalizing responses and even referencing individual experience if appropriate. If scripted responses are necessary (and they often are), the language should be adapted to the complaint as much as possible.
7. Be transparent.
Don't be tempted to astroturf your way through a situation, either. Even aside from the ethical problems associated with fake reviews, it's not very scalable, and the risk of discovery is too great.
8. Above all, don't ignore complaints.
Spam or trolling is a different matter, but a legitimate customer complaint should never be ignored. Even an imperfect response is better than silence.
Did we miss anything? Please share your thoughts in the comments...
Author: Dorothy Crenshaw is CEO and Creative Director of Crenshaw Communications, a boutique PR firm focused on marketing and reputation-building strategies for consumer and technology brands under the banner "Creative Public Relations for a Digital World." She founded her firm after a 15-year career in marketing PR that included senior posts at Edelman and Grey Advertising's GCI Group. You can find her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dorothycrenshaw or follow her blog about marketing, PR, and reputation at www.crenshawcomm.com/imPRessions
*This post originally appeared on the MENG Online Blog and has been reposted with permission.