Manage criticisms, complaints and respond to enquiries about social marketing programmes
Overview
This standard is about managing criticisms, complaints and responding to enquiries about social marketing programmes. Social marketing programmes set ambitious goals of influencing individual and organisational behaviours. There may be individuals who resent this influence, because they may feel the goals of the social marketing programmes, strategies and methods are inappropriate. They may voice their objections through private complaints or public criticisms. Careful planning and pre-emptive briefing of members of staff, partners and key stakeholders can forestall many such complaints and criticisms, but it is also important to respond to enquiries in a timely manner when they arise.
This standard is for professionals in managerial roles who are responsible for managing individual complaints or public criticisms about social marketing programmes.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- carry out a risk assessment to anticipate the types of criticisms, complaints and enquiries about social marketing programme
- evaluate the complaints and criticisms about the social marketing programme and the relevant procedures of dealing with these
- establish your organisation's procedures for responding to criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- brief the relevant members of staff on the social marketing programme's goals and ensure the procedures are followed in response to criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- ensure the relevant contacts for referral to any questions or queries are in place
- correct any factual errors or misinformed assumptions about the social marketing programme in a professional manner
- ensure that complaints, criticism and enquiries are responded to within agreed timelines and in accordance with organisational procedures
- consult with partners and key stakeholders on how to respond to unanticipated criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- refer to senior management or specialists in the event of serious criticisms, complaints and enquiries which cannot be dealt with within agreed procedures or are likely to result in serious effects
- monitor the criticisms, complaints and enquiries and take appropriate action in response to these
- report any informed decisions and lessons learned to partners and key stakeholders for further strategies and potential actions
- critically reflect and test the effectiveness, acceptability, and ethics of potential social marketing strategies with target groups, partners and key stakeholders, and adapt as necessary
- ensure compliance with the legal, organisational, code of practice requirements and policies relevant to your role, your organisation and the activities being carried out
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the principles of carrying out a risk assessment in relation to the criticisms, complaints and enquiries about social marketing programmes
- the relevant stakeholders, target groups, their diverse interests, needs, abilities and preferences
- the potential types of complaints and criticisms that may arise from reactions to the social marketing programmes
- your organisation's procedures for dealing with criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- the relevant principles of briefing and debriefing the members of staff involved in dealing with criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- how to respond to anticipated criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- the corrective or remedial actions in case of factual errors or misinformed assumptions
- how to escalate serious complaints or criticisms that were not resolved and the relevant members of staff or specialists for dealing with these
- how to monitor and evaluate the feedback and reactions received in response to the social marketing programmes
- the relevant evaluation techniques for dealing with complaints and criticisms
- the reporting procedures for lessons learned from the types of criticisms, complaints and enquiries
- the importance of keeping up to date with evidence based best practice guidance
- how to critically reflect and test the effectiveness, acceptability, and ethics of potential social marketing strategies with target groups, partners and key stakeholders
- the legal, organisational, code of practice requirements and policies relevant to your role, your organisation and the activities being carried out
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Social marketing programme
As used in the standards, "social marketing programme" encompasses longer-term (3 years) programmes, medium-term (1-3 years) campaigns and short-term (<1 year) targeted initiatives.
It is recognised that social marketing programmes usually involve a number of "partner" organisations working together in close collaboration.
Stakeholders
These include all those involved in, or affected by, the social marketing strategy and the issues it is seeking to address.
Links To Other NOS
External Links
Academic Competencies in Social Marketing developed and approved by International Social Marketing Association (iSMA), European Social Marketing Association (ESMA), Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM). https://socialmarketing.blogs.com/rcraiiglefebvres_social/2014/09/academic-competencies-for-social-marketing.html
Social Marketing Statement of Ethics: https://www.instructus-skills.org/documents/SM%20statement%20of%20ethics%20FINAL%2006032020.pdf
Global Consensus of Social Marketing Principles, Concepts and Techniques by ESMA, AAS, SMANA, iSMA: https://europeansocialmarketing.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ESMA-endorsed-Consensus-Principles-and-concepts-paper.pdf