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CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication · Do's and Don'ts of Communication through Social Media

A company's official page receives a harsh, public criticism of its product from a customer. The social media manager is considering four responses. Which response best follows good practice and avoids a social media 'don't'?

The best response is to reply politely, acknowledge the concern, and move the details to a private channel. Deleting, sarcasm or silence are poor practice because they escalate conflict or suggest indifference, while a courteous prompt reply protects the brand and resolves the issue.

  1. ADelete the comment and block the customer without a reply
  2. BPost a sarcastic reply defending the product in public
  3. CRespond politely, acknowledge the concern and move the details to a private channelCorrect
  4. DIgnore it until the customer removes it

Explanation

Good practice is a prompt, courteous, non-defensive reply that takes specifics offline. Deleting and blocking looks like censorship, sarcasm escalates the dispute, and ignoring signals indifference. All three are things to avoid.

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