Scroll through Twitter or Facebook and sooner or later you’re bound to see a complaint about an airline that lost a piece of luggage or a cable company that kept an irate customer on hold for hours.
As a growing number of brands use social media to engage with customers, some have invested financial and staff resources to resolve complaints online in real time. But should air your grievances on social media? The answer depends on a variety of factors, including how active the company is on social media and how soon you need a response.
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Some companies actively use social media platforms to resolve issues, but others use mediums such as Twitter and Facebook to broadcast sales promotions or industry news. In fact, only about 10 percent of messages on social media actually receive a reply from a brand representative, according to a 2016 survey by Sprout Social, a social media management tool for businesses. So if you see that a brand doesn’t engage with customers on social media, you could be wasting your time.
Christopher Elliott, journalist and consumer advocate for Elliott.org, says that for many complaints, it’s best to put your grievance in an email so there’s a paper trail or visit a store in person where it’s harder to be ignored. But if you need immediate assistance (say your flight was canceled and you’re waiting to speak to an agent in person or on the phone) or you haven’t gotten a resolution through the regular modes of communication, social media might be the way to go.
If you want the company to respond quickly, Twitter is likely a better choice than Facebook because it’s typically monitored more frequently, Elliott says. He adds that brands can’t delete your tweet about or to them but they can delete comments on their company Facebook page. And depending on your privacy settings, you could post a rant on Facebook to your friends that the brand may never see.
Some brands — notably Comcast, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines — have social media teams that handle customer issues. When tweets include a team member’s initials at the end, that’s a telltale sign a social media team is fielding complaints or questions.
A few years ago, when Jim Wang, founder of the personal finance blog Wallet Hacks, wanted to complain to Southwest Airlines about spotty in-flight Wi-Fi to receive a refund for the $7 connection fee, he tweeted at the airline. Southwest’s social media team sent him a link to an online form within a few hours and Wang not only got a refund, he also got a $100 travel voucher.
“They’re pretty responsive via Twitter,” Wang says of the airline. “They’ve also responded pretty quickly to questions that I’ve tweeted at them too, [such as] how the Companion Pass works,” he adds.
If you have a question that doesn’t merit a phone call, posting your query on social media can also elicit an easy answer. When Celeste Altus, of Martinez, California, couldn’t find Odwalla Organic Carrot Juice on store shelves, she tweeted to the juice company to ask if there was a shortage. The company responded the following day, noting the product had been discontinued and recommended other veggie juices. While this wasn’t exactly the news she was hoping for, Altus appreciated the response. “Knowing someone at the company is reading these tweets and responding to them is good to know,” Altus says.
If you do decide to take your complaint to social media, here are strategies that will boost the likelihood of a timely resolution.
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Mention the brand’s official handle or page. The most social media savvy brands will get notifications when someone mentions their name even without tagging them on social platforms. But to ensure that the social media team sees your post right away, be sure to tag them by including the Twitter or Facebook handle.
If your complaint involves a health or safety concern, you could also tag a watchdog group like the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in the same post. “Tagging an organization in a product complaint post makes it feel more authoritative and less like a rant,” says Jonas Sickler, marketing director for ConsumerSafety.org, a website that includes product recalls and safety guides. Also, framing the incident as a concern or safety hazard rather than dissatisfaction will go further towards a suitable resolution, Sickler says.
Follow the brand’s Twitter handle. If you tweet a complaint to a brand, they’ll likely want more information via direct messages, which are private and don’t have the same character limits as tweets. Make sure to follow the brand (or set up your account to accept messages from anyone) so that the brand can communicate with you via direct message and help get the issue sorted out quickly.
Stay calm. When contacting a company via social media, Elliott recommends being polite, persistent and patient. “Never threaten; always be nice and present your problem in the most neutral terms possible,” he says. “Even if you have a problem right then and there, give them some time to figure out what’s going on.”
Remember that any public posts on social media can be seen by others (with Twitter changes, other users can see tweets even if you’re mentioning the company at the beginning of your tweet), including potential employers, so don’t post a rant. Another reason to keep your cool and keep it factual: Some companies now file libel suits against consumers who post hyperbolic negative remarks or reviews online.
Include specifics. If you can’t sum up your issue in 140 characters, an email or letter might be better. That said, a few key details can give credence to your complaint and also help the company resolve the issue efficiently. “I always tell my friends, if you’re going to complain, be as specific as possible,” Wang says. If you’re tweeting to an airline, for instance, include the airport codes for your itinerary, but don’t share your record locator or confirmation number publicly.
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Escalate your complaint if needed. As Wang points out, the beauty of posting on social media is that you can write a quick post and go about your day instead of navigating a phone tree or sitting on hold. But if you don’t get a response to your post and still need help, you may need to follow up by contacting the company via phone or email and providing additional details to process your complaint.
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Should You Post Your Consumer Complaint on Twitter or Facebook? originally appeared on usnews.com
