27 Customer Complaint Response Rewrites
Karen Inkster Vance
Activity Guidelines
Suggested Course Level
Lower level undergraduate
Activity Purpose
- Students will identify issues with a real-life customer complaint response and rewrite the message using effective negative news writing strategies for online audiences.
Materials Required
- Example of an online written customer complaint response that needs improvement
Activity Instructions
- Find an online negative customer review that has an accompanying problematic corporate response. (There are articles linked below with several examples or you can find your own.)
- Provide each student with a copy of this exchange.
- Once they have read through the situation, ask the class: What do you think is problematic with this complaint response? (Consider: tone, audience, impact on future customers).
- Using negative news writing strategies, have each student rewrite a more appropriate response and/or apology.
Debrief Questions / Activities
- Ask a few students to share their rewrites with the class.
Additional Resources / Supplementary Resources
- Links to review sites:
- https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/4-of-the-worst-ways-to-respond-to-negative-feedback
- https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-not-to-respond-to-negative-reviews-online-aka-how-to-make-people-hate-your-brand/59903/
- https://www.reviewtrackers.com/revenge-business-owners-worth-fighting-negative-reviewers/
Tags: oral presentations, oral communications, audience analysis / context analysis, negative news messages, writing online, discussion, individual, creating a product or document, customer complaints, apologies, social media
