5 essential steps for responding to external criticism
When consumers lodge complaints, your response can either defuse the situation or add fuel to the fire. Here is a model to ensure critics feel heard, while leaving room to correct the record.
How you respond to complaints—whether online or in person—says a lot about your brand to potential customers.
Too defensive? Audiences will assume you have something to hide. Fail to correct the record? Misinformation and rumors might be taken as fact.
For communicators in the digital age, where misinformation has been industrialized and weaponized, being able to fight back against falsehoods while remaining thoughtful and respectful is paramount. Lauren Lawson-Zilai, senior director of public relations for Goodwill, shares five important steps for confronting online rumors and misinformation in a session for Ragan Training.
“While it feels very personal, it likely is not,” Lawson-Zilai says of many online attacks. Being able to recognize the humanity behind a complaint or criticism is essential in finding a resolution—and avoiding a viral blow up.
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