You can’t respond to complaints if you don’t know they exist. Appointed personnel should monitor your company’s social media channels and social groups in which you’re active, and brand mentions that pop up on various platforms. Still, that’s only a portion of the work. To truly ensure nothing is missed, set up Google Alerts for your company and consider using a social media listening tool, such as Awario – a reasonably affordable option for businesses of all sizes. Here are six more tips to deal with complaints on social media.

1. Always Respond.
The dedicated oversight is needed because it’s important to respond to complaints and criticism. Responding shows the complainant and anyone else who has seen the publicly posted gripe you’re a brand that cares – a company that takes it seriously when a client is upset and wants to make things better. Failing to respond does the opposite, causing you to appear indifferent and even arrogant. With that comes negative repercussions: A study from Edison Research and social media guru Jay Baer found that neglecting to respond on social media can lead to a 43% decrease in customer advocacy. Conversely, responding can deliver a 20% increase in such advocacy.

2. Act Fast. When a complaint is discovered, don’t let it sit: Meet it head-on right away. Addressing issues from six months ago about an order that flopped isn’t going to have nearly the same positive impact as doing so within a few hours. Plus, the more time that elapses without responding, the longer others have to see the critical post and to observe that your feedback has been nothing but digital silence. Of course, it can be helpful to do a bit of research about the customer’s situation first, but don’t get so bogged down that you take a long time to respond.

3. Employ Empathy.
It’s not enough to just respond any old way. Your tone should convey understanding and include an apology for the person’s negative experience. Part of your response could feature phrasing like, “Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re sorry that you feel XXXX. We always strive to make every experience a customer has with us positive.” Obviously, if working with a strict character limit as on Twitter, streamline the phrasing, but keep the tone empathetic.

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ASI's Vinnie Driscoll and Patrick discuss customer service in the age of social media, helpful tools and advice for your business, and how to navigate this new frontier of the customer experience.

4. Shift to a Private Forum.
If the person’s complaint is valid and able to be resolved easily, consider offering a solution in your response post. It shows the person – and others – that you take making things right a priority. If the complaint requires a little more doing to address, try moving the discussion to email, the phone or private social messaging. Baer recommends that you not reply more than twice publicly when addressing complaints on social platforms. If additional discussion is needed, it shouldn’t take place where all can watch the blow-by-blow action. With two reply posts, you’ve achieved the primary goals of showing the aggravated person and the public that you care, Baer maintains.

5. Address Inaccuracies With Tact.
Sometimes, complaints are exaggerated. While keeping your tone polite, gently correct the inaccurate information in your responses. It can be most advantageous to do so while simultaneously offering a solution (in cases where there’s exaggeration but also still a relatively easily rectified issue) or when suggesting moving to a private forum (in cases that require more complicated solutions).

6. Be Leery of Trolls.
Occasionally, digital ne’er-do-wells might crop up. These social trolls are simply there to badmouth your brand – to get a rise out of you, rather than voice a legitimate issue and reach a resolution. When confronted with trolls, keep your cool and correct any lies they’re spreading by calmly sharing facts. You can also try to sap their vitriolic momentum with humor. If the trolling continues, block them.