Effective complaint management on social networks: the impact of response strategy, type and account on consumer reactions

Purpose Social networks have become important firm-customer touchpoints, challenging service firms to manage consumer feedback and develop effective communication strategies. This study aims to examine how corporate response strategies (replying to only negative vs some positive and negative comments), response types (defensive vs accommodative) and account types (standard vs humanized) affect the reactions of complaining social network users. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide insights into common marketing practices and then present a quantitative preliminary study and focus groups to build the foundation for a new theoretical framework. The authors also draw on accessibility-diagnosticity theory, apply it to the research context and test its application empirically. The authors subsequently test the combined effects of response strategies, response types and account types in the quantitative main study. Findings The response type influences complainants’ attitudes toward the firm through complaint satisfaction, response perception and perceived customer orientation. The response strategy affects attitudes only through perceived customer orientation. There is an interaction between response type and account type. The findings suggest that social media managers using a selective response strategy should address all negative comments, use humanized accounts and provide accommodative responses. If defensive responses are necessary, humanized accounts may help mitigate negative effects. Originality/value The mixed-methods approach offers comprehensive insights into communication strategies on social networks. The authors validate a new theoretical framework by applying accessibility-diagnosticity theory to the context and reveal the benefits and novelty of humanized communication on social networks, which increases flexibility and strategic advantages by mitigating negative effects of defensive replies but remains uncommon among service firms.