Welcome back, cxplorers!

We’ve had a solid 6 weeks exploring the sunny side of CX and Marketing in ecom.

But it’s not always sunny in DTC (or here in San Antonio where we got pelted with a hailstorm on Tuesday!)

So let’s take a look at something a little uncomfortable: unhappy customers.

Whether they’re blowing up your phones, blasting you on social, or leaving 1-star reviews, you’ll bump into them eventually.

But bad feedback isn’t all bad for your brand. Let’s dive in and see how brands can make the most of customer complaints.

Link Diving

Customer complaints: your biggest hurdle or best ally?

Customer complaints are inevitable.

And though I won’t suggest that you should be thrilled to hear them, they can contain some valuable feedback.

Not only will honest customer feedback help you refine your product development, customer support, and messaging…

...but it can also help you complaint-proof your brand for future customers.

This Shopify blog post argues that, “In customer support, more value is created by reducing unpleasant surprises than by delivering delight.”

And the best way to reduce unpleasant surprises is to take a proactive support to CX (which means you better get your marketing team on the line!).

Check this one out to learn both proactive and reactive solutions to common customer complaints related to shipping, inventory shortages, product expectations, and UX.

There are plenty of solid examples of how your marketing can play a proactive role so that your CX team can address complaints more efficiently. Teamwork makes the dream work, baby ;)

📰 Read it here: Upset Customers? Here's How to Stop Customer Complaints Before They Happen​

. . .

Turn that frown upside down

No matter how proactive you are, you’re still going to have some complaints or bad reviews.

But the way your brand responds to those complaints can make the difference between a customer trashing your brand all over social or becoming your biggest superfan.

Not sure how a 1-star reviewer can become a brand advocate? It’s all thanks to the Service Recovery Paradox.

And it looks a little something like this...

Of course, that magic green line only goes up if your team deals with the issue well.

So it’s probably best to keep a digital eye on your customers by checking your mentions on social, reading all critical reviews, and staying on top of support tickets.

To learn more about the service recovery paradox (and get a better understanding of the factors at play), check out this short article from Customer Thermometer.

📰 Read it here: The Service Recovery Paradox​

Delight Discovery

I spotted this 3-star review on a pair of LoveSeen’s fake lashes while working on last week’s issue.

😻 Yayyy for LoveSeen taking the time to reply to critical reviews. Their response to Katherine here is empathetic and warm.

😻 After helping Katherine feel seen, they then go on to offer some educational support (and offer up an invitation to reach out for more support)

😻 I don’t know this for certain, but I have a hunch that this review was left before LoveSeen released their lash applicator tool. The CX team is recommending tweezers here, but I suspect (and hope!) they developed the Lash Tool to address this exact type of customer complaint!

Buried Treasure

When we listen to customers, we find buried treasure. Here’s this week’s featured product review that’s full of swipe-worthy customer language.

I went hunting for 3-star reviews for skincare brand Crude. 3-star is a fun place to look for Customer Language that’s not “SUX. WOULD GIVE 0 STARS IF I COULD” bad and not “Best thing ever! You should charge more!!” over-the-top good.

There were only three 3-star reviews for this product (their super moisturizing Wash which I’m really enjoying!), but two of them touched on the same issue: missing suds.

I think that Crude could address this a little bit more in their PDP copy if this is in fact a common complaint.

If CX confirms that there’s confusion over “Why won’t this lather?!” they could add FAQs or other info to make this clear upfront.

And I’d love to see a callout along the lines of “If you live and die by bubbly, sudsy goodness, this probably isn’t the right body wash for you. Our Wash goes on like a lotion—you can even use it as a leave-on moisturizer!”

CX Twitter

I'm working to find the best of CX Twitter. Here are a few Tweets that caught my eye this week.

HANS, from Wunderkeks @wunderkeks @eliweisss I’ve always pondered that a customer complaint is pole position to delight a customer and win her over for life. Would love to hear your thoughts on that! Eli Weiss @eliweisss Here’s my hot take on refunds 🥵 Providing a customer a refund on goods/services is a tool, and sometimes not the best tool to use. I’ve seen customers ask for validation and an apology, get a shoulder shrug and a refund, and leave just as annoyed. 🤷‍♂️ March 28th 2022 0 Retweets 3 Likes

Looks like Hans agrees that the support recovery paradox is real!

Sheila Gonzalez @DanesaGlez Marketing tip: Your unhappy customers are not a problem. They're a lesson. Listen. Solve. Grow. Handling adversity well is the mark of a strong brand. April 11th 2022 38 Retweets 218 Likes

A lesson and an opportunity. (Shout out to @RalitsaMinkova for RTing this right when I was searching for Tweets on this topic 😂)

Kyle Lawrence @Kyle_R_Lawrence Here's one way to bridge the gap between your CX and Marketing team. Create a Slack channel w/ Zapier that pulls in 1-3 star negative customer reviews. It's the MOST depressing channel BUT your team will have no problem reciting pain points and product issues within a week. February 1st 2022 12 Retweets 134 Likes

Not gonna lie, this doesn’t sound like a super fun Slack channel! But it’s a lot better than burying your head in the sand while negative reviews pile up—especially if there are common trends that could be addressed!

Let me know what kind of CX, marketing, and customer-focused curiosities you've been exploring lately. I'd love to hear what you've discovered.

- Megan