Let’s be honest: nobody likes getting negative feedback, but ignoring it is a lot worse. If you use Delighted to gather customer feedback, you’ve already got the raw data. The real trick is making sure your team knows about unhappy customers right away—not buried in some weekly report.
This guide is for anyone who actually wants to fix issues before they turn into churn. I’ll walk you through how to set up real-time alerts for negative feedback in Delighted, so your support team can jump on problems fast. No fluff, no buzzwords—just the steps that actually matter.
Why Real-Time Alerts Matter (and What Most Teams Get Wrong)
If you’re still waiting for a daily or weekly feedback roundup, you’re already behind. Customers who leave negative feedback are usually in the middle of a bad experience. Wait too long, and you’ve lost your chance to make it right.
Most teams either:
- Set up alerts but make them so broad they get ignored.
- Miss the negative feedback entirely.
- Rely on someone to “check the dashboard every so often” (good luck with that).
Real-time, targeted alerts cut through the noise. But only if you set them up right.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “Negative Feedback” Means for You
Before you dive into settings, figure out what counts as “negative” in your context.
- NPS (Net Promoter Score): Detractors (scores 0-6) are the classic definition.
- CSAT (Customer Satisfaction): Anything less than “Satisfied” is usually a red flag.
- Custom surveys: Decide which responses really need attention.
Pro tip: Don’t try to alert on every neutral comment. Focus on stuff that actually signals a problem. More noise = more ignored alerts.
Step 2: Make Sure Your Team Is Set Up to Respond
Don’t bother with real-time alerts unless someone’s actually on the hook to follow up. A few things to check:
- Who’s responsible for responding? (Don’t just send alerts into a black hole.)
- How will they reply—email, phone, chat?
- Do they have the tools and authority to fix the problem?
Honest take: If nobody owns the process, you’ll get a pile of angry customers and a lot of “we’ll look into it” emails. Assign someone, or don’t bother.
Step 3: Log in and Head to Delighted’s Alerts Settings
Log in to Delighted, and look for the “Alerts” or “Notifications” section in your dashboard. Delighted sometimes moves things around, but as of now:
- Click your avatar (top right) → “Account settings”
- Select “Alerts” from the side menu
If you don’t see “Alerts,” you might not have the right permissions. Ask your account admin to set you up.
Step 4: Create a New Alert for Negative Feedback
This is where the magic happens. Here’s how to lock it down:
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Click “New Alert”
Usually a big button—hard to miss. -
Set the Trigger Criteria
- For NPS surveys, choose “Detractor responses (0-6).”
- For CSAT, pick the lowest score (“Dissatisfied” or equivalent).
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If you’ve got custom questions, use the “response contains” filter and add your keywords or scores.
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Choose Who Gets the Alert
- Add specific emails—don’t just blast the whole team.
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If you’re using Slack or MS Teams, see if your plan supports direct integration (more on that below).
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Set the Delivery Method
- Email is usually easiest to start.
- Slack/Teams: Delighted supports direct integrations with these, but you’ll need to set up the connection (see Step 6).
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Webhooks: For advanced setups—skip unless you really need it.
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Save and Test
- Most important: Send a test alert. Make sure it actually lands where you want it.
What to skip: Don’t bother with alerts for “All responses” or “Any feedback.” You’ll drown in notifications and start ignoring them.
Step 5: Fine-Tune the Alert (or You’ll Get Swamped)
The real world: alerts are great until they start blowing up your inbox. Here’s how to keep things sane:
- Limit triggers: Only alert on true negatives, not neutrals.
- Batching: Some teams prefer a digest every hour instead of instant alerts. Delighted lets you adjust this—use it if you’re getting overwhelmed.
- Add context: Include custom properties (like customer name, account value, or support rep) in your alerts, so you know who you’re dealing with.
Pro tip: Once a week, check if your alerts are still useful. If people start ignoring them, tweak the filters or delivery method.
Step 6: Connect to Slack, MS Teams, or Your Help Desk (Optional, But Powerful)
If you want alerts to go somewhere besides email, Delighted has some decent options. Here’s the honest rundown:
- Slack:
- Delighted’s Slack integration is solid. Connect your workspace, pick a channel, and alerts will appear in real time.
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Make a dedicated #customer-feedback or #support-alerts channel. Don’t spam your general channel.
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Microsoft Teams:
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Similar process, but a bit clunkier. Still, it works for getting alerts into Teams.
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Help Desk tools (Zendesk, Intercom, etc.):
- You can use Zapier or direct integrations to turn negative feedback into tickets.
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This is great if your support workflow lives in a help desk, but keep in mind: more integrations = more things to break.
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Webhooks and APIs:
- Only use if you have dev resources and a specific use case. Otherwise, it’s overkill.
Honest take: Email and Slack handle 90% of real-world needs. Unless your team is very technical, stick with those.
Step 7: Train Your Team to Respond (and Actually Close the Loop)
Setting up alerts is the easy part. The hard part is making sure someone does something about them.
- Have a playbook: Even a basic checklist helps—acknowledge the customer, understand the issue, fix what you can, and follow up.
- Personalize responses: Don’t copy-paste apologies. People can spot a template from a mile away.
- Track outcomes: Did you actually fix the problem? Did the customer reply? If your tool allows, mark alerts as resolved.
Pro tip: Every month, review a handful of cases. Where did you do well? Where did things fall through the cracks? Adjust your process accordingly.
Step 8: Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a fancy automation suite. Start with basic alerts, make sure someone is actually responding, and adjust as you go.
- If alerts become noise, prune them.
- If you miss something important, tighten your criteria.
- If you’re getting great feedback, share success stories with your team.
What to Ignore (Unless You Love Wasting Time)
- Over-customizing alerts: Start simple. Don’t try to build a perfect system on day one.
- Alerting on every response: You’ll burn out fast.
- Automated, generic follow-ups: Customers know when a bot is talking to them.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overthink It
Real-time alerts in Delighted are about speed and action, not dashboards and charts. Set up alerts for the stuff that matters, make sure someone owns the response, and tweak things as you learn what works. Start small, keep it simple, and remember: the goal isn’t zero negative feedback (that’s impossible), it’s turning bad experiences into better ones—fast.