Companies have to deal with a lot of social media posts about them. Usually complaining about something the consumer experienced. Companies have two options they can either respond to it or ignore it, but respond should they try to defend their company or let the customer be right?
Defensive
When a company responds defensively it causes the consumer to feel attacked and ignored. It shows the consumer that you don’t care about their experience and that you aren’t willing to change anything to make it better. This can lead to the consumer and other consumers to feel negative towards your brand and lose loyal customers.
Proactive
When a company responds proactively it allows the consumer to feel understood and heard. It shows the consumer that you can admit to when a mistake has been made and you are willing to fix it. By taking responsibility and apologizing, it can lead to more consumer loyalty because they feel like they matter to the company. This is the best way to handle a situation because your keeping customers happy and learning how to create better consumer experiences.
Above is a perfect example of Wendy’s using the proactive approach to make things right with customers who received no meat in their chili. Also giving some sass back to a person who commented on the post who doubted them about responding keeps followers giggling at the sense of humor Wendy’s social media has.