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Social media has revolutionized the way companies and customers interact.  It’s provided an exposed platform for consumers to voice their opinions about brands and products—a terrifying thought for most, if not all companies.

In an interview entitled Customer Service is the New Marketing (see video) Lane Becker provides insight on the power of building relationships with consumers via strong customer service focus using new technology. “Historically, customer service has actually been customer avoidance,” Becker says. But social media has made this tactic virtually impossible.

Companies can avoid the consumer, but it will negatively affect the company in the long run. Consumers and businesses in a social space will interpret the lack of engagement as a lack of concern.

More often, the issue doesn’t stem from a product problem, but rather a lack of understanding on behalf of the consumer. The backlash comes from people who are not clear on the purposes of a company’s actions.

Here are three ways to deal with unhappy consumers in social spaces:

• Listen and act quickly – Always be listening and engaging with the consumer. The social world is about immediate feedback and response—pay attention.
• Acknowledge their frustrations and ask questions – Get to the core of a problem by asking questions. Often misunderstandings can be resolved through simple interactions.
• Validate the issue and find resolutions – If your company made a mistake, own up to it and work to fix it; find common ground to show the consumer that while there might be nothing you can do, you understand where they are coming from and appreciate their feedback.

So why should we embrace the unhappy consumer? In social spaces, the unhappy consumer is a brand’s best friend. Companies build credit with other consumers (and perhaps even with the unhappy consumer himself) by addressing issues and complaints head-on.

Over time, the company won’t need to constantly monitor negative feedback. Loyal consumers who understand how and why the company makes certain decisions will do it for them.

Once a company dives into social media, it has to be ready for the good, the bad, and the ugly.