I spent the afternoon yesterday working out of the Cafe Coffee Day, Adchini next to our office even as the #ccdsucks thread unfolded on Twitter, after a shop manager at a Chennai outlet, allegedly, asked for a cover charge from some guests who'd gathered for a tweet-up.

Here are 10 tips for the #ccd team to take a look at that I just posted as Tweets. I will write more about this later, if I get the time. Please add yours:

1. #1 Pause: Take a deep breath. Something happened, don't just react
2. #2 Take a step back: Find out what really happened? Get to the facts, quickly
3. #3 What's the stated policy: Is there a stated policy on the matter? Ensure that the team follows the policy across
4. #4 Communicate: action and any changes you 'might' have decided to bring, if needed
5. #5 Support: don't isolate the individual, your team is a key stakeholder too
6. #6 or number #1 track the conversations-separate key topics - see feedback; identify known issues; which are by choice?
7. #7 Don't over do it: know your promise, don't try or promise to be who you are not - under pressure
8. #8 Identify high impact issues, address them
9. #9 Communicate change - bring change, then communicate
10. #10 seize the opportunity - engage afresh, find your supporters and work upon regaining lost ground

Focus on the ground issues; communicate change (Update: or as some put it - make better coffee and have better service and then all is well :) )

All the best @cafecoffeeday.

UPDATE: 11 February 2010, 8.50 am - Rajika, Amita and I were out for a meeting a 2 minute discussion about the "CCD Sucks" episode got us to conclude that Cafe Coffee Day could have saved itself the embarrassment from use of #ccdsucks tag itself, necessitated by the need to participate in ongoing conversations, simply by adding #ccdresponds to #ccdsucks - this would have given the necessary context and positioning to the brand.