Lately, I've been assisting clients with some particularly thorny online "angry-pants people." Specifically, the people who will whine and complain about anything you try to do. It seems like some people were born to be difficult, without any particularly good reason.
That said, the ultimate goal in every scenario is to take upset people and turn them into happy and loyal customers.
Clients have gotten really good at turning a majority of the complainers into loyal customers. In some cases by being fairly direct with people. Especially online complainers who are downright belligerent and rude. Just because someone is unhappy doesn't give them the right to "f-bomb" the people who are trying to help. Hence, a little tough love may be necessary.
Which leads to today's takeaway.
If you're going to dish it out online, whether it be via a Facebook review comment, email, Tweet, etc. Remember that the "Internet is forever!"
That means if you write an email to an angry customer, assume they're going to post that email online. I've worked on client projects where an irate customer posted part of an email I wrote on the client's behalf. That was A-OK by me. Because I worked from the assumption that the email would be posted. And ultimately, it worked to the client's advantage.
You and your team should work with the "Internet is forever" assumption for every event response. If someone reads what you wrote, how would a casual reader interpret it? Your response could have a considerable impact on your event's reputation. Always be aware!
Want to get more info on online customer service for events? Check out the links below:
- Event Web Sites: Saving Money and Time with a FAQ
- What to Do After You’ve Sold a Ticket to Your Event . . .
- The Mystery of Online Customer Satisfaction
- Dealing with Harsh Event Feedback
- Your Event Web Site as a Customer Service Portal
- Event Marketing: Do You have an Online Champion for Your Event?
- Event Promotion: Are You Interacting with Your Target Market?