Twitter is not only a platform for individuals who want to voice out their thoughts. It’s now also in use by businesses to provide customer service. A majority of small businesses are on Twitter to do so.
Through the platform, they can build their reputation and connect with their customers.
But how do you fit quality customer service in 280 characters or less? How can you know how to respond to a tweet that’s negative or positive?
Remember that everyone is watching how you respond to tweets, especially to complaints or negative feedback. Learn how to respond to positive, neutral, and negative tweets by reading our tips below.
1. Match the Tone of the Customer
A good way to connect with your customers is to match the tone of the tweet.
Is it exciting? Show excitement, too! If it’s thoughtful, send them a thoughtful message, as well.
If they’re angry, however, make sure to use an empathetic tone. Don’t sound too excited or happy, lest they think you sound insensitive.
2. Personalise Your Thank You Messages
If you’re doing things right, you’re going to see some nice messages coming your way. Respond to these tweets to let your customers know you’re hearing them.
Thank them for using your product or service, but don’t get tempted to use a generic thank you response. This sounds robotic, and people don’t like to feel they don’t deserve human interaction.
To inject a human element into your tweets, personalise each tweet by reading what the tweet says. If it’s a compliment about your customer service, say something like, “Glad we can help you.” Then, follow up with, “We’re here if you need any more help.”
If a customer made something with the help of your product or service, say something like, “That looks awesome!” You may even consider retweeting it plus reviews and testimonials for others to see.
3. Inject Some Humour Into Your Tweets
Wendy’s and Taco Bell are two corporate Twitter accounts that are getting a lot of publicity due to being funny and “savage.” You don’t have to be as extreme, however. You can still be professional without shying away from humour.
The Wendy’s account isn’t afraid to offend because that’s their shtick. But for you, know that you can be funny without being offensive.
Reaction GIFs are also a good way to spice up your tweets. They’re often pretty funny on their own. If you pair it with a funny caption, though, your tweet will be better received by your audience.
4. Apologise to Negative Tweets
Expect some complaints and negative comments, too. They’re not going anywhere, so the best course of action is to attend to these in a professional manner. You need to learn how to respond to a tweet like this without making both parties get into a heated argument.
No matter how colourful their choice of words might be, don’t take their hurtful comments to heart. Instead, assess what the exact problem is and respond to that. If the issue is unclear, ask the customer for more information about the problem they’re encountering.
Responding to negative feedback must also involve apologising for the inconvenience and stress the issue has caused.
5. Offer a Solution to a Problem
The most important part of your apology is the resolution of the problem. If applicable, outline the steps they need to take to fix the problem on their end. Or direct them to a resource, such as a guide, or the right person for help.
For example, instruct them to email the department that handles their specific problem. Make sure, however, that the department will prioritise their email.
6. Know When to Go Private
Sometimes, 280 characters won’t cut it. In this case, take the conversation to DMs. You can go private if you need to give more instructions, for example, or if the customer needs to explain the problem in more depth.
Dealing with private information is also one of the cases in which you need to go private. If you need one or more of the following info, encourage the customer to DM it to you:
- Username
- Email address
- Phone number
- Billing information
- Home address
- And more
Instruct them to DM it to you or ask for their information via DM. They may respond to your tweet with that information, which will put them at risk.
7. Sign Your Tweets with a Nickname or an Initial
If multiple people are handling one Twitter account, signing each tweet with the name or initials of the employee creates accountability. You will be able to better monitor the interactions between the customer and each of your employees.
This also allows the customers to feel they’re talking to an actual human. If they need to refer the tweet to someone else, they’ll also be able to use the name or the initial of the first person they talked to.
8. Respond in a Prompt Manner
Did you know that 82% of consumers expect a response within 10 minutes after sending an inquiry? If the question is of greater importance, that number climbs up to 90%.
Make sure you have enough people to respond to inquiries as soon as they come. If you have limited manpower, train them on how to prioritise tweets. Get to the tweets requesting assistance first, but don’t ignore your other mentions.
Of course, you don’t need to be on Twitter 24/7. Mention the times your customers can expect an immediate response on your bio.
9. Go the Extra Mile to Help
Sometimes, it’s not only about giving the customers what they need but also what they might need. Point them to a helpful resource that can improve their experience, for instance.
Take the @InstantPot account as an example. It monitors its mentions and responds to tweets to recommend recipes its customers can make using their products.
It personalises each message, too. If the customer mentioned the Keto diet, the account will mention Keto recipes.
The account could say thanks and then go back to looking at their mentions instead. But they went above and beyond to further help the customer.
Know How to Respond to a Tweet
Knowing how to respond to a tweet, good or bad, is a valuable skill for any individual or business on Twitter. This is a great way to build consumer trust and loyalty, even if you’re dealing with negative comments.
It doesn’t end here! Learn the other ways a bad review can be good for your business by reading our other articles.
