The word Tweeple is very simply defined as people who use Twitter. Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are a proven way to reach your customers quickly and create deeper relationships. But just like anything else there is a flip side to these online tools and complaints can be shared on your page for the entire world to see.  So what do you do when the world sees negative things being said about your brand?  You deal with it. 

My first thoughts on this pull me back to personal experience in the real world (as opposed to the online world). I have in fact had to defuse situations and handle complaints during peak hours in the middle of a crowded fine dining restaurant.  It feels as if all eyes in the building were on me, and probably many of them were.  So I would say that the same rules apply. 

The first rule would be to not take the complaints personally. If you do, you will adopt an immediate defensive mentality and it will be apparent in your words. That helps nobody. 

The second rule is to remember that everyone wants to be heard. To be truthful, you can't help a situation unless you fully understand the situation so you need to hear them out. However, just like in the middle of a crowded restaurant, it is best to not to continue to interrupt the good experience that everyone else is having. Let the upset customer know that you want to hear more about what happened but take the customer to the side and talk with them there. Publicly ask them to contact you directly via the social media platform so that you can hear more in detail. 

The third rule is to act the same way you would act if the individual were telling you the story of what happened in person. Deal with it in the same way and be honest.  Then take steps to ensure that a similar incident does not take place at your location.  See this as an opportunity to improve your services. Adopt the same outlook you would have if you had hired a secret shopper and they were reporting back to you. 

The last rule is that if they leave your conversation happy ask them to tell the world! There is nothing wrong with asking them to go back to the same social media platform that they complained on and state that you have dealt with the issue. Some may disagree with me on this point, but it is not dissimilar to asking for a letter of recommendation from a client. Don't toot your own horn about it. Let your public do it. A third party recommendation always goes much further than self promotion in the landscape of the social media world.