Managing complaints in Social Networks is a fundamental part of the work developed by a Community Manager. When opening direct communication channels with customers, fans or followers of your brand, you must be aware that you are also opening a ” window ” of customer service, in the main square of the town, with a large luminous sign that says “leave your complaint or problem HERE.”

Manage this new “window”, although it does not differ much from the traditional customer service that is practiced in the offline world, it has some peculiarities of Social Networks, which are worth knowing and applying at the moment of having between hands a negative comment or an incident that affects any person.

If you are a Community Manager or the person in charge of handling this type of situations inside your company, these are some tips that you should consider when handling a complaint in Social Networks.

Measure the impact of the complaint.

Depending on the user and the type of complaint you receive, evaluate and define the degree of importance of the criticism or incidence. Not all have the same relevance, although all people deserve an answer. Do some research Find details and information that you can use in your approach and that can relate positively to the client.

Act quickly

It is much easier to turn off the conflict when it starts to generate. Do not wait for it to get bigger. The complaints are usually exponentially viral. Every moment that passes without a response or response and every minute that the user invests in complaining, directly affects their anger. Sometimes a simple one, “we have received your message and we are managing it”, will give you a very valuable margin of time to make decisions.

Provide information, not confusion

If you are the first to detect the message, but you are not the channel or the right interlocutor; you do not have the answer; or you are simply not authorized to give it, let the client know and show him the correct way to process your problem. It will help a lot to know that there is someone who is managing their incidence and that the company has heard it. This will calm your anxiety for a quick fix.

Recognize the error with humility

Make a brief investigation of what happened. Gather information and, if applicable, present the necessary apologies. Represent your brand in each message you deliver, as rigorousness and formality are necessary, but try to add personal touches that make the tone of the communication warmer.

Open conversation channels that are not public

If the situation warrants it, try to move from online to offline. Exchange email addresses Take the first step and give a direct phone number to be contacted. It is much easier to generate trust in a telephone conversation. You will have space to explain yourself better and you will give the client the opportunity to do so too.

Give the user the opportunity to help you improve

A person with a complaint is a potential opportunity to make improvements in your company. It is a warning about something that you may be doing wrong and that you can do differently. Make the client feel that your comment will help change what is not working as it should be. Being empathetic you will gain their trust.

Follow up and update the situation.

Once the complaint or incident has been processed and managed, after a prudent time, the client will always be very well received, tweet, mail, or a call informing him of the improvements that have been implemented thanks to his alert or problem. It will be the best 3 minutes of your day.

Document what you do

Dedicate a couple of minutes each day to document the actions you take in relation to the complaint. It will be very useful when rendering accounts to a superior; explain the situation to your team; or document a success story. The memory is fragile and a simple paper with data, names, dates and actions performed, will help you.

In the vast majority of cases and especially in front of the first complaints we receive on social networks, we can react in an impetuous or unbridled manner. One advice that I always give to my students is: “Worry, but always keep in mind that there are usually no lives in danger.”