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"By now it\u2019s clear that negative online sentiment cannot only damage a business\u2019 reputation but also its bottom line. You don\u2019t get many chances to address a vocal, disgruntled customer or correct a fake, perhaps competitor-generated, social media review.  And silently ignoring social feedback from customers is never an option. \nThat said, too many companies have fallen prey to the idea that robotic responses \u201Ccover their bases.\u201D They believe they\u2019re on top of their social media presence because their corporate marketing department is monitoring brand references and aggregating metrics. But those actions do not focus on improving the customer experience, which is ultimately what affects a company\u2019s revenue.\n\nSEE ALSO: How to Maximize Your Facebook Engagement\nHere are seven social media management rules to prevent your employees from becoming response robots and incite them to respond in a way that boosts customer loyalty.\n1. Be Timely\nThe right underlying technology solutions can help a company monitor what\u2019s being said online and immediately alert property managers to a new social post. Instilling a culture of urgency among employees is important when closing the loop on social reviews. Not only is one customer watching \u2014 so is everyone else.  You don\u2019t need to respond to every post, but it\u2019s also important to respond to both good and bad posts because it shows future customers how involved you are. For example, scathing reviews that are tempered with rational, genuine responses are much less potent in deterring future customers.\n2. Don\u2019t Auto Respond\nEvery response is visible in stream, and the presence of scripted responses will quickly become apparent to followers. If your responses seem automated, they won\u2019t seem genuine and you might as well not respond.\n3. Leave it to the Frontline\nThe employees who are closest to your customers are the best at interacting with them, either online or face-to-face. Getting your frontline of employees on board with your social media strategy invokes a strong sense of urgency to fix underlying problems.  Because of social media\u2019s transparent nature the frontline will appreciate the importance of improving the customer experience. Best Western responds to well over a third of their TripAdvisor reviews (above the industry average) to foster customer rapport.\n4. Don\u2019t Get Personal\nRemember to keep your tone professional.  Picking a fight online is a great way to start a PR massacre. Google Boners Barbecue if you doubt it. It may seem unfair to businesses, but the customer is always right, at least on these forums.\n5. Keep Responses Short\nSocial media venues are built for skimming and quick conversations. The social attention span is tiny and your responses aren\u2019t only for the initial reviewer but for future consumers. Don\u2019t kill the mood.\n6. Thank the Customer\nGive credit when an issue is uncovered. Domino\u2019s Pizza did a good job engaging customers and employees when customer comments about product quality were left on social sites. Embracing social feedback made the company look good.\n7. Fix Issues\nWalking the walk is crucial to the success of your customer experience management campaign and, ultimately, your bottom line. Over time, companies that have the same issues over and over again will not only have bad social scores but will show customers they are incapable of improving. You don\u2019t want to be written off as a lost cause.\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, sorendls"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/rules-responding-to-customers-online/>