How do you respond to comments on your social media posts?

It goes without saying that you should always respond - and preferably as soon as you can.

If possible, try to encourage conversation - answer their comment, and then perhaps ask a question. That way, your other followers might join in too - great for engagement.

Customer Service

Many people now see social media as a route for their customer service queries - so comments can be about everything from your opening hours, to product availability. They might even include negative comments or complaints. So how should you deal with those?

No one wants to have a length interaction with a disgruntled customer in a public place such as a social media feed

Dealing with Grumbles

No one wants to have a length interaction with a disgruntled customer in a public place such as a social media feed. The last thing you need is other followers chipping in, and an audience can often raise the temperature of the conversation in an unhelpful way.

However, it is important that you are seen to respond, and how you do this can have a lasting impact on how your customers, and potential customers, perceive your business.

So, this is what I find works well.

Respond quickly to the comment in a positive way (even with a little humour if that’s appropriate)
Take it away from the public feed - say something like “I’m really sorry you’re unhappy - I’m going to contact direct so we can talk about how to fix that for you.”
Then direct message or email the customer to deal with the detail of the problem.

Plan Ahead

Sometimes the person dealing with day to day with your social media may not be able to deal with a complaint themselves. It’s a good idea to have a simple process in place. This might include: