Hope Gibbs on Dealing with the Bad and Ugly of Customer Feedback from Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
“There is one thing that every worker, entrepreneur and business owner has experienced firsthand,” writes reporter Ashley Poulter on CEO Blog Nation.
“It doesn’t matter if you are at the top of your game in the business world or just getting your startup off its training wheels, you have still been there: bad customer feedback. There is that one customer who can’t be pleased or falls through the cracks of customer service and greets you with negative feedback about your business. They say you can’t please everyone, but you do have to deal with those you can’t.”
So how do you deal with bad customer feedback? Below are some tips from business owners and entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneur Hope Katz Gibbs advises: Keep calm and carry on
“Just as no PR is bad PR — customer feedback is always a good thing, even when it’s bad,” she says.
“If a customer is unhappy and shares a harsh critique, on Yelp for instance, the key is to step back and analyze the comment Does the customer have an honest beef? If so, how can the entrepreneur make a fix so others don’t have a similar experience? Or, is the feedback simply sour grapes? If that’s the case, then the entrepreneur’s best response is to take a deep breath and let it roll off their back.
“The same holds true for positive feedback. Is the business really as great as a glowing comment might suggest? Or, is there something for the business owner to learn from the comment? In fact, responses from customers are often great launching pads for marketing campaigns. So get creative, and turn lemons into lemonade. And remember, successfully dealing with it is simply a matter of perspective. Keep that insight in the forefront by writing this genius WWII advice on a sticky note and post it on your laptop: “Keep calm and carry on.”
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