Recent studies of Twitter user behavior have indicated that business owners who respond to tweets in a timely manner will see improvements in their customer loyalty over time. Many common Twitter conversations revolve around a negative experience with a company when the business owner answers and wants to make amends. The question is whether this is an effective use of the company's time.

According to current research from both Twitter and Applied Marketing Research, responding to complaints is a positive way to build better customer rapport and correct problems. When a customer receives a response to a complaint, they're up to 20 percent more likely to spend more on a product or service from the same business. They're also up to 44 percent more likely to recommend the business to their friends and family.