It is very easy these days to share a bad experience on social media or one of the many review sites. But is it fair to do this to a small business without giving then the chance to rectify the mistake?
Another facebook post last week on our local community page showed a picture of a half-eaten fish supper (or fish and chips for those of you not familiar with my Scottish phrasing ?). The post went on to describe it as the worst they had ever had and named and shamed the local fish and chip shop.
Now to my delight they did not get the response they expected. Instead the community went on the defence of the shop and called out the complainant for sharing this on facebook rather than taking it back to the shop and complaining directly and asking for a replacement or their money back. The shop owner also commented in a calm and caring manner and asked for the chance to make it up to the unhappy customer. It also prompted lots of other customers to praise the shop and share their positive experiences.
However it could easily have been a different story and that one bad review on social media could have impacted that small business. They are one of many local fish and chip shops and customers could easily have switched their allegiance.
Complaints (or any sort of feedback) is a great source of insight. We can learn from it and develop our products and services to eliminate any cause for concern. Successful businesses will constantly ask for customer feedback and use that feedback to improve their offering.
The chip shop in question could follow up with the customer and may discover that (for example) the cooking time needs to be amended or a different oil could be used. Or it may be a particular member of staff needs additional training. But without the direct feedback then this opportunity is missed.
Q. What do you do to gather customer feedback? Also how would you handle any negative feedback on social media?