First understand this: customers complain about your brand because they want to love it. They wish your products pleased them, your service satisfied them, your offerings fulfilled their every desire. They act annoyed, angry, and irritated, but underneath that is a secret desire for you to succeed. To be amazing. To be the best brand that you can be.

In any customer service interaction, online or offline, your job is to channel frustration into adoration. The line between hate and love is so fine with a dissatisfied customer that a timely and effective response can often entirely shift sentiment. Social media gives you an opportunity to do this publicly, where everyone can see that your brand cares.

This is a fact: 33% of consumers who are contacted about an online complaint publish a positive review.

This is another fact: An additional 34% delete their original negative review.

And this is my favorite fact: 18% turn into loyal customers and buy more.

In an age where your brand will be talked about online whether you like it or not, social media gives you a place to control the conversation and transform negative sentiment into positive action. Here are four ways to achieve that:

1.) Be Timely. When a customer is disappointed he or she wants resolution fast. Create a process that allows you to address complaints on Facebook and Twitter the moment they arise. This is especially important for crisis management, but you should also brainstorm ways to funnel complaints on social media to customer service. Don’t avoid a late breaking crisis. Be quick and timely. The longer you take to address a complaint, the longer you leave it open to additional complaints.

2.) Be Empathetic. We’re human. We love, hate, vent, and laugh. When your product disappoints, it strikes a chord in us. Acknowledge that emotion. Don’t say, “I’m sorry that you feel that way.” Say, “I’m sorry – that must be so frustrating.” Do you see the difference? The first is blaming the customer, the second is sympathizing with the customer. Show your customers that their disappointment is your disappointment, because it is. You want your brand to please them.

3.) Be Apologetic. Don’t beat around the bush, say “I’m sorry.” Show your customer that your brand takes responsibility for dissatisfying him/her.

4.) Be Human. It’s easy for a customer to rail against a giant, faceless brand, but it’s hard to yell at an actual person. When crafting responses to negative feedback online, sign your name. Just your first name. Don’t go crazy with last names. But this single act of humanizing your brand will ease the customer’s angst and potentially minimize their venting.

5.) Be Actionable. Whenever a customer has a complaint, you need to do something. Tell your customer about this. A customer may, for example, need to email your support team to actually get a resolution. That’s fine, but make sure that you tell him/her the steps that you took to make the situation better. Say, “I’ve contacted our support team – they should be expecting your email.” However small the action is, take it and tell the customer that you’re working for him/her.