I came across a great post recently how to mollify a negative situation on social media. We have all seen, hopefully not experienced, an incensed customer or player venting their anger on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. These customers have a disproportionate impact, as many and potentially thousands see their rants if it goes viral. The negative posts also often turn up in searches of your company or product. These customers can have a long-term damaging impact on your brand.

The aforementioned post, “5 steps to diffuse an angry customer on social media,” lays out five keys to dealing with customers who are posting negatively on social media:

1. Timeliness. It is critical to respond quickly to the issue. The longer you wait the more the disgruntled customer’s side of the story will be visible unopposed and the more upset they will probably become. If you deal with it quickly, the issue is much less likely to spread.
2. Deal with all social media channels. If you respond to the disgruntled customer on one social media channel, make sure you address any posts on other social media. For example, if they post on Facebook and you respond there, also respond to any of their tweets or if they mention you in their blog.
3. Take the complaint to the right place. Make sure the appropriate department or office deals with the concern. When I had a problem with the Extended Stay and posted about the, rather than the local property responding it would have been more powerful if the corporate headquarters addressed my issues.
4. Be patient. It is easy to get worked up by an angry customer, especially if you feel their issue is not as bad as they claim, but put your emotion aside and be tolerant with your customer. They may continue to rant and rather than being drawn into a negative loop, continue to be positive until you have won them over.
5. Produce. It is always the results that matter and when dealing with an angry customer, these results are even more important. Make sure you deliver what you promise the customer to resolve the situation.

When you have unhappy customers expressing their discontent on social media, rather than ignoring it and hoping it goes away follow the above five steps and you are most likely to see positive results.

Key takeaways

1. Customers who are unhappy with your company or product can cause serious damage on social media as their complaints may be seen by thousands or even millions.
2. Rather than hoping the customer goes away, you should proactively address the irate customer.
3. By responding to their negative posts quickly, dealing with their outbursts on every social media channel they are suing, taking the complaint to the right part of your business, being patient with the user and delivering a solution you are most likely to defuse the situation.