SOCIAL MEDIA + YOU

We’ve all seen tweets like this before:

If you run a company account, you’re bound to encounter at least 1 tweet (or facebook post) that is less than flattering. How you deal with those complaints online determines your success as a socially networked company.

Twitter is a great place to voice 140 character opinions, and an even better way to ‘stick it’ to that company you’re frustrated with. But what happens if you’re on the other side? What happens if YOU’RE the one running the account that everyone hates right now?

• Be quick in your response. The last thing you want to do is leave a negative comment or complaint unattended. Not only will it reflect poorly on your company, but it may spark a cavalcade of negativity from your other followers. I call this the Bandwagon Effect.
• Handle it publicly first. You received the complaint publicly, and now you need to answer it publicly. Formulate a concise and informative response to the individual. If you handle this situation offline first, other users will not see your response and may think you just chose not to handle the situation.
• Be thankful, polite and respectful. You know that saying, “The customer is always right”? Even if they aren’t right in this situation, you need to formulate your response so it’s not condescending or judgmental, but rather, steer them in the right direction. 
• Give the customer a way to further the conversation. 9 out of 10 times unsatisfied customers will not take this step, but they will feel good knowing they have the option to e-mail your company or call a direct line.

No one likes to hear that they’re doing a terrible job, but you have the opportunity to turn the situation around and hopefully make that unhappy customer a loyal customer.

For more detailed (and statistical) proof that being nice to complaining customers is the way to go, visit this site.

You may feel like this:

But you need to think about these:

And then be nice.