Social media complaint reply templates

Even if you run your business carefully and are very organized, you will have to deal with unhappy or unsatisfied customers sooner or later. You simply can’t please everyone. Of course, you have to try to, but if you fail, you need to face the consequences.

If customers complain directly to you, you should be grateful. Customers have many opportunities to share their unhappiness with your business publicly, which can harm your brand’s reputation. Receiving negative feedback privately in your social media inbox gives you more time and space to make things right before the negative experience gets out of hand.

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The basic model of complaint management

The causes of customer dissatisfaction stem from the differences between expectations regarding a product or service and its actual performance. Sometimes customer complaints are justified, and sometimes they’re not. However, no matter the reason behind the dissatisfaction, you can’t ignore the complaint.

There are several models for complaint management, but the following five steps are most essential and should be followed:

• Contact the client: This is most the crucial part and the beginning of the procedure, starting once the client files a complaint. When they do, you should collect  the customer’s data, the date and time of the complaint, and a description of the problem.
• Transmission to the functional area: If the complaint or claim was received by an employee that isn’t a part of  the customer service department, the complaint must be passed on to the right people without delay.
• The cause of complaint: The client can express their anger or dissatisfaction in different ways, but the organization must determine the real causes. It is not about looking for culprits, but about preventing future complaints or claims.
• Search for solutions. Solutions must be found by customer service reps. The resolution terms must be short; information and quality of attention are two fundamental pillars of problem resolution. Many clients are satisfied just by being heard, understood, and accepted.
• Resolution of the problem. Once the solution has been determined, the measures taken to solve the problem must be carried out and communicated to the client in detail. This is the moment to thank them for their trust, offer explanations, and apologize. Don’t forget to thank the client for having presented the complaint or claim.

Social media complaint reply template ideas

Social media complaint reply template 1

Social media complaint reply template 2

Social media complaint reply template 3

Social media complaint reply template 4

Social media complaint reply template 5

Social media complaint reply – Frequently asked questions

Should I reply to all customer complaints sent via direct messages?

Yes, you should reply to all customer complaints. What’s more, you should pay special attention to every piece of negative feedback you receive and investigate what caused those customers to be unsatisfied with your product or service. 

Should I say sorry even if a customer is not right, or their complaints are unjustified?

If a customer’s complaint is justified and your company made a mistake, you should definitely say that you are sorry. If their complaint does not reflect reality, you should still be professional and treat the customer with respect, but you should try to prove that they are not right instead of apologizing. 

If a customer’s complaint is justified, should I compensate for my company’s mistake in any way?

You should do everything possible to fix your mistake. If you sent a faulty product, replace it with a new one. If a feature of your software doesn’t work properly, fix it as soon as possible. However, there are some issues you can’t fix right away. In such cases, you should try to compensate for the mistake your company made. For example, if you run a restaurant and a customer is not happy with a meal they were served, you can offer them a free lunch or extra drinks as a form of compensation.