How Addressing Customer Issues Publicly Can Benefit Your Business

Engage with consumer complaints, don’t evade them.

Staying ahead in business needs not only a keen eye for opportunity but also a level of self-awareness that lets us know what we’re getting right and where we’re dropping the ball. I think this can only be achieved by carefully listening to who’s behind whether or not your business succeeds – the consumer.

Every company will encounter disgruntled customers at some point, there’s no point in trying to avoid or ignore them. What often distinguishes a business that succeeds from those that falter is how it handles consumer issues, and at the root of this is how poor feedback is addressed.

The value of criticism

Turning a blind eye to bad feedback and hoping just to ride it out is a reckless strategy. A single complaint can highlight a wider problem. As time progresses this can snowball into dozens of angry comments citing the same consumer concerns – and the public can see that your company was made aware of the problem, yet did not act. Repairing the ensuing reputational damage takes work, so it makes sense to heed consumer alerts and act fast before a problem escalates.

Consumer comments on review platforms like PissedConsumer.com provide a library of end-user testimonials that not only alert businesses of emerging complications but can also inform creative and effective solutions and sound business strategies. Additional PissedConsumer features and analytics show your business through the eyes of the consumer, instructing you on what they want, what they dislike, what matters most to them, and what you can do to stand out from your competition and win over new customers.

Getting the most from consumer feedback

Outcomes here all come down to one factor - how you respond. The aim should be a constructive dialogue to resolve consumer issues. Here’s how I suggest your CS agents guide a customer interaction in the right direction:

Truly listen

When a customer reaches out to your company with an issue, what they want most of all, arguably even more than a resolution, is to feel listened to and understood. So give them this with patience, verbal nods, empathy, and a sincere aim to find a remedy to their problem.?

Respond swiftly

Before your customers can feel listened to, you should acknowledge that they are there. So don’t leave them hanging and let the negative feelings stew. Reply promptly and work on moving things forward towards a positive outcome as soon as possible.

Empower your staff

Every customer interaction is an opportunity to learn something. A call on Tuesday may be highly relevant to a problem faced on Wednesday. So give your customer service staff the freedom to go off script and take the initiative when problem-solving.

Take advantage by addressing customer issues

With online references like the PissedConsumer guide taking the mystery out of contacting companies, more and more consumers are sharing their thoughts. Embrace this. Dealing with customer criticism shouldn’t be seen as damage control or mitigation, play it smart and access an opportunity to innovate, grow, and build a brilliant reputation.?