Social media is a wonderful tool to promote your business, build your brand, and interact with customers. Unfortunately, in the case of the latter, your interactions will not always be positive. No matter how well you take care of your users, there will come a day and a customer who is upset and angry, and determined to tell you exactly how they feel.

As much as you might want, ignoring these vile social media statements is not an option. As discovered by Dimensional Research in a marketing study, 86 percent of their respondents indicated their buying decisions were influenced by online negative reviews. You have to respond, and most importantly, respond without taking it personally. This is hard when it is your business, but do not fire back with passive-aggressive messages, or delete their message. If an upset customer wants to be heard, they will be heard – on every social media channel. Instead, consider the following method:

Considerations before you respond

See it from their shoes. Try to understand where they are coming from, and if it is a valid complaint. If they are a customer or a client, you should move forward on creating a response. If it is a baseless or hurtful attack from an unrelated source, there are other strategies to use.

Be quick, but not immediate. Obviously, the rapid-fire delivery of social media means you need to act fast with dissatisfied customers, but take time to work through the issues first. If you are unprepared to work to a cohesive solution, or do not correctly understand the situation, that will show in your response.

Get offline. The faster you are able to take this conversation offline, the better. It is easier for both sides to take a breath and work through the problem when the conversation is not public – and no company needs their dirty laundry spread across social media. If it is a customer, and they have a legitimate complaint, pick up the phone and sort it out.

If the issue cannot be solved offline, ignore your instincts to delete the conversation. That will only add fuel to the fire! Instead, take this opportunity to publicly showcase your business’s ability to calmly and collectively solve the problem.

Tips to consider while drafting your response:

1. Take accountability. The best PR decision you can make is accepting responsibility – even if it is not fully or even partially your company’s fault. Your customers and future customers will admire your addressing the concern publicly.

2. Validate the concern. Any upset customer wants one thing first and foremost: acknowledgement of their issues. Empathize with their complaint, and let them know they are heard and understood.

3. Give a clear directive. Others will be reading this exchange on social media, so offer clear instructions for further assistance or more information. For example, providing an email or customer service phone number as well as the FAQ page web address from your website.

4. Update when everything is resolved. Once you have found a solution that satisfies your customer, ask them communicate the outcome on their social media. However, if the issue is still sensitive and you do not feel comfortable asking, feel free to post the message alone. The trail of dialogue and resolution will showcase your company’s customer service skills.

Responding to angry comments

If you feel you must respond publicly to angry comments, consider the following first:

Getting into online arguments never ends well. Try venting your frustration offline, and posting a response after you cool down.

Take the high road. Do not stoop to their level, use insults, or a derisive tone. In every case, it is best to publicly agree to disagree.

Keep it as a draft. Try forming a response and keeping it in your “Drafts” folder until you cool down. Have a second set of eyes – a trusted friend or colleague – take a look before you post, as their view will be more objective.

In a nutshell, think carefully and thoroughly vet your response to any negative comments on social media, even and especially when there is no reasoning with your customer. The best case scenario for that looks like this response by the Liberty Bottleworks CEO. And if you need any more evidence that responding angrily does not help – take a look at this massive meltdown by Amy’s Baking Company after getting dumped by Gordon Ramsay.

Take care, and social media on!