Online Reputation Management: How to Handle Customer Issues on Social Media Platforms

Unresolved customer issues at dealerships are likely to find their way to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. Even trivial issues have the potential to go viral and turn into a devastating PR nightmare that can damage your online reputation within hours.

This is the reason why you have to constantly monitor and manage customer issues on social media.

Here’s how to handle customer complaints on social media platforms.

1. Monitor Your Social Media Pages

All your social media pages should be regularly monitored, since customers find it all too easy to vent anger on social media. Regular mentoring of your social media pages and hashtags can help you detect negative customer conversations and intervene before things go out of hand.

2. Respond to Customer Issues Proactively

Proactively responding to customer issues on social media will in itself signal that you are sensitive to customer opinion. This is likely to help prevent negative conversations from going viral.

3. Apologize for the Inconvenience

If your customers are complaining on social media, then most likely they are inconvenienced. Merely apologizing for the inconvenience will help create empathy without the dealership directly owning responsibility.

4. Personalize Your Responses

If your customers leave less than ideal comments on your social media page, then they would expect immediate attention.

Instead of having bots respond to these issues, make sure that your support team personally responds to them. This will help to calm frayed tempers and set positive expectations.

5. Take the Issues Offline

If you have received a complaint on your social media business page, then it is best to take the issue offline after initial responses offering a speedy solution.  

Let your customers know that you will contact them via personal email, call, or message to discuss the issue in detail.

6. Find a Solution ASAP

If there is an available solution which can help your customers, then do not delay in conveying it. This saves you time and helps your customers as well.

7. Don’t Forget to Follow Up

Once you resolve the issue, follow up to find out if the solution was helpful. This may help persuade some of them to leave a happy note to end the social conversation.

8. Avoid Deleting Negative Customer Reviews

An occasional negative customer review shows that all your reviews are real. On the other hand, deleting negative reviews may provoke your customers to post all over social media and you will have no control ove it. This can badly hurt your online reputation.

Avoid deleting negative reviews. Instead, consider using apps like Buyerater to get a steady stream of positive customer reviews.