You log on to your business Facebook page for the first time in a week.
There it is, in your notifications. A review. And it’s only two stars!
Immediately, your palms start to sweat. Sue C. has some pretty harsh words about her recent experience. And she wrote this five days ago. It’s sat there, unanswered and what’s worse? Tom T. has chimed in as well, with an eye roll emoji and a snarky “I’m not surprised!”
This is bad. Does the boss know? What do you do now? Is it too late to respond? Will you make things worse?
Record scratch.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Did you know you can outsource online customer service? Yes, it’s true! Imagine never having to see the red glare of a notification on social media again, reminding you that it’s now time to draft a response to someone who had a bad experience with your company.
Ignoring online customer service is no longer an option.
Your customers can – and are – leaving feedback about your business 24/7, 365 on a variety of public platforms – including social media sites. Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + are just a few, not to mention specialty sites for businesses like senior housing, medical practices, health and fitness providers and restaurants. The list goes on and on!
By choosing not to respond to your online reviews, you are missing out. You are also saying to your customers and clients that you don’t care what they have to say and that their feedback isn’t valid. It’s Customer Service 101 in the digital age.
If you’ve had this panic or indecision about an online review or customer service issue, there is help available – you can outsource online customer service!
Making the decision to outsource online customer service can be a benefit to your business – and help you sleep easy at night, knowing it is handled. Here are three reasons to outsource online customer service. Read on:
Accountability
A team that is devoted to managing your customer service does just that: Reading, responding and handling any and all customer feedback. That means your staff can’t just let complaints slip under the rug. Valid concerns and feedback will be addressed and resolved. That’s crucial for service industries and also industries that thrive on word-of-mouth, like retailers and service providers. If you have a product to sell, we know things can go wrong. But if a potential customer can see that the company responded and made things right, they are more likely to trust and do business with that company.
Real-time Feedback
There are few things more valuable than real-time feedback, as a business owner. If something isn’t working – like a new product or service, or one of your employees isn’t providing the best face for your company – managing online customer service can help uncover those issues so you can nip them in the bud. It’s also a way to glean valuable marketing data. Does everyone love the new colors you launched? Is a new program or product amazing and being talked about online? Making the decision to outsource online customer service can give you that real-time feedback and response that you crave – so you can focus on growing your business.
Peace of Mind
It can be a good thing to have an outsider handle critical feedback about your business. Why? An outsider won’t get defensive when crafting that perfect response to a critic. Snark and anger have no place in an online review response. How many times have we seen those kinds of responses “go viral?” It can kill your business faster than a series of negative reviews. Also, when you outsource your online customer service, someone is always watching your social channels and is focused on your online reputation. If someone posts a review, an outside team will be on it – and you’ll know about it. You won’t have to worry if someone on your team has checked Facebook today to see if there is something that needs a response.
Hay There Social Media
The expert team at Hay There Social Media has years of experience handling online reviews for companies big and small on a variety of platforms. We do this EVERY DAY and are committed to helping your company present its best face to clients and customers. Be your boss’ hero. Add improving online\customer service as a goal to your next team meeting. Want to talk about online customer service? Contact us today!
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Emily A. Hay
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