Local Voices
#HateTweets: When Should Businesses Respond on Social Media?
Is the customer always right? Tell us how you respond to bad reviews or criticism online.
The customer is always right. That old adage might not be true, but as bad reviews or complaints about your business are posted online, other customers might believe the saying.
In April, our East Cobb Patch site asked about a complaint a patron of the Del Taco in Smyrna, GA sent to the company's account. It read:
"hey @DelTaco, the girl working the drive through right now at your Smyrna, Ga location is incredibly and incorrigibly rude by the way :("
The following day, the company asked for more details and provided a link to its feedback page. Is that the appropriate response?
Business owners: Tell us in the comments how you respond to reviews and complaints online.
According to a recent social media conference at the University of Pennsylvania, experts said customer service is often the ignored aspect of social media, but that it's becoming a business necessity.
Yelp and Google Places offer a few tips for how businesses can respond to reviews, including:
- Be nice, or you could make the situation worse.
- Don't get personal. The feedback is about the business, not you as a person.
- Keep it short and simple.
- Don't forget to thank positive reviewers, too!
This article is sponsored by Wells Fargo Works. Watch the video series, then enter the contest where you could win a similar experience, including $25,000 for your business. Watch the videos and enter the contest here.
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