BAPIA
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John Bowler has been part of the party industry for more years than he cares to remember! John currently runs the Balloon And Party Industry Alliance (or BAPIA) and can be contacted on info@bapiaonline.com
SAY WHAT?
“After the great feedback following the article in the last issue of PPE I thought you would be interested to hear the advice that Jade (Jade Fraser, of Massimo Media and BAPIA's social media expert) had for members regarding how to deal with online complaints. Jade regularly posts articles for BAPIA members in the news section of www.bapiaonline.com so if you are a member, remember to check out the news pages.” DEALING WITH ONLINE COMPLAINTS One of the things many business owners fear most about having a social media presence is unfair customer complaints. The customer isn’t always right and it may seem that few things would be more detrimental to your business than a disgruntled customer out to destroy you. Worse still is the threat of a competitor posing as a customer for the same reason. Here’s how you can handle such complaints in the best way and why you shouldn’t let them worry you. AT YOUR SERVICE First of all, a customer complaint is a great opportunity to show your superb customer service. Think who would you be more likely to hire – a company with little to no online presence and no evidence of their customer service skills? Or a company with one negative review which has been dealt with quickly and efficiently, leaving the customer feeling satisfied? Accidents happen, from faulty balloons to communication errors, but if potential customers can see that you will be proactive and go above and beyond to put things right every time, they'll feel reassured that they're in safe hands, whatever happens.
RECTIFY OR REASSURE If you've been given a negative review, don’t be afraid to ask the customer if they would mind going back to update their comments to reflect this once you’ve rectified the situation. Most customers leave reviews simply to help other customers know what your business is like so, if you’ve turned things around and ultimately left them feeling satisfied, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t want to spread the word. As long as you ask nicely. Sometimes there’s no reasoning with a complainant and that's ok too. Instead, reply calmly and professionally, explaining your business practices and policies so that potential customers can avoid the same situation. Take care not to accuse the customer who left the review but instead to explain how and why you did everything you could to
ABOVE LEFT: Customer feedback is hugely valuable, whether good or bad. RIGHT: A five-star business needs to be responsive.
What Is BAPIA? The Balloon And Party Industry Alliance, or BAPIA as it’s more commonly known, is designed to work for the party industry to promote the benefits of using industry professionals and to bring significant benefits to our members. BAPIA is a member of the European Balloon and Party Council (EBPC) and keeps members updated on the latest news, including the most recent initiative – the Code Of Best Practice for balloon retailers and professionals. You can read more about this in BAPIA’s latest quarterly newsletter. Mailed directly to members, John is happy to send a copy of the latest edition to interested parties – simply email him at info@bapiaonline.com.
make this particular situation right. Don’t descend into a back and forth argument, just state your side and let it be. Think of potential customers reading the review and your reply. You don’t want to come across as confrontational or difficult to work with, you just want to reassure them that the same issue won’t happen to them. FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES Instead of worrying about the odd negative review, focus on the potential business from the positive reviews. A business with no reviews will rarely do better than one with even 4 out of 5 stars. Each time you have a happy customer, don’t be afraid to ask them if they would take the time to write you a quick review. A simple Instagram comment like, ‘Josie loved her balloons!’ or even just a star rating on Facebook or Google takes one click but will make all the difference when new customers are looking. Is there an incentive that you can offer customers to remember to review you too? Focus on building these positive reviews and any negatives will be buried in no time. LEARN AND IMPROVE All reviews, good or bad, are an opportunity to understand your customers and improve your business. Online reviews allow customers to be honest, which means really getting to understand their needs so you can serve them better. Is there a recurring issue that you could easily clear up? Perhaps there’s a pricing point that you could make clearer at the time of booking. Even better, is there an element of your business that lots of customers rave about in your reviews? Reviews help you to learn what people appreciate the most about your business so that you can highlight your best-selling points on all your pages. BAPIA members, remember to tag us in your posts using #bapiaparty so that we can see and share your great work!
JULY/AUGUST 2019 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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