More and more of your guests are taking to social media to make enquiries, leave glowing reviews and also, inevitably, to make their views known when their holidays failed to live up to expectations.
How well are you fielding their questions, comments and criticisms?
Here’s a quick guide to some best practices when it comes to social customer service.
Acknowledging Positive Reviews
When you check your notifications in the morning and see your resort has received a positive comment, you probably let out a small sigh of relief, or at least smile to yourself; no complaints to worry about today!
But although you don’t feel the same urgent need to respond to positivity that you feel when you see a negative comment tarnishing your profile page, you should still reply, every time. Responding to people who have taken the time to praise your property is not only polite, it builds rapport with your audience and shows you’re serious about interacting with your guests on social media. It helps nurture a courteous and positive atmosphere where people can clearly see that positive feedback is welcomed and dialogues are encouraged. Don’t forget to mention the guest’s name in your response; it’s friendly, and will help ensure your comment makes it into their notifications queue, too.
Responding to Criticism
Social media allows people to find a (potentially huge) audience to listen to grievances that might otherwise have gone unheard.
With this global audience in mind, you should use negative feedback as an opportunity to publicly address their concerns and showcase your commitment to exemplary customer service. In the age of social media, a generic “contact our customer service department on…” response will not cut it. Remember, the guest has contacted you on Facebook because they want and expect a response on Facebook.
Demonstrate how much you value the guest’s opinions by offering a considered and personal response, stating how the issue is being investigated or dealt with. If anything more than a quick comment is required, provide a direct line number so the guest can discuss their complaint in detail with someone who already knows the context of the situation.
Dealing with Trolls
Internet trolls are people who, hidden behind the relative anonymity of a computer screen, deliberately post offensive comments to rile people up and provoke a reaction online.
Although some may argue that you shouldn’t ‘feed the trolls’ by giving them the attention they crave, if you run into trolling on your social media pages, the best line of action is to call it out. Monitor comments on your company’s pages carefully and be ready to intervene if things turn ugly with a request that users refrain from personal attacks and insults. If someone is repeatedly attacking your brand, ask them politely to share evidence that supports their opinions. You’ll be surprised how often simply reminding your audience of their manners will successfully turn around the conversation to a more positive tone.
Social media customer service is your chance to demonstrate to the world that your resort is modern, ready to engage and truly social.
How do you handle social customer service? Let us know in the comments below!
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