There are approximately 2.6 billion monthly active Facebook users and around 166 million people use Twitter. Social media has become a significant platform for marketing and maintaining customer relationships. The significance of social media in customer service is evident for various reasons. Some of these reasons include:
Transparency
Communicating with customers and addressing their queries through social media is a transparent practice. If companies act swiftly and handle the issue in a proficient manner, it becomes a public spectacle for the world to witness.
Consequently, the company will gain acknowledgment from the general public, which enhances the impression of the company in the eyes of potential customers.
Improves Brand Awareness
On social media platforms, clients mention the brand when they post questions or feedback, regardless of whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied.
What the client published and the response given by the brand or business will be visible to the customer’s connections and fans.
Brand recognition and awareness will be enhanced as a greater number of individuals become familiar with the company.
Easy Recommendations
Rapid resolutions and suggestions can be provided when patrons reach out to a company on social media with issues or challenges. Consequently, those encountering similar challenges can refer to the provided guidance to minimize further inquiries.
If customers’ problems persist, the company is capable of offering a range of products or services for consideration.
Additionally, it is simpler to conduct a customer satisfaction check after providing assistance.
Remember, your competition is also active on social media, so you can check out what they’re doing as well. You might learn a few things about dealing with customers from how your competitors are doing it.
Strategies to Go Social with Customer Service
By combining social media and customer service, your company can effectively ensure customer satisfaction throughout every stage of the sales funnel.
Examining some of the top tactics that can enable your business to provide exceptional customer service through social media.
Build Strong Customer Relationships
Having strong connections with your clients can greatly contribute to their loyalty and dedication in supporting your business.
Engage with your customers by utilizing the social media platforms you actively participate in. Interact with them by commenting on their posts or by tweeting at them.
It is common for individuals to anticipate a swift reply to their grievance or inquiry on social media. Thus, it is essential to make an effort to always respond promptly once you are made aware of such a situation.
Apart from using social accounts to address dissatisfied customers, post content that can pique their interest, which would prompt them to interact with your brand.
You can also consider asking questions and feedback, making it clear that you want to keep your customers happy.
When it comes to marketing on social media platforms, it’s important to avoid over-promoting your products or services. Instead, focus on creating content that resonates with your target audience and provides them with something they can personally connect with.
In doing so, it will demonstrate to them that you prioritize establishing connections rather than just making sales.
Know What Your Customers Are Saying
Being conscious of customer complaints prior to their approach can help prevent frustration or resentment from them.
A fairly effective tactic is to incorporate hashtags to monitor customers’ feedback. Branded hashtags or other specific ones allow individuals to quickly and conveniently search for issues they may have encountered.
By using these hashtags, you can seek out potential customers who require assistance or guidance. Employing this tactic enables you to circumvent receiving irate messages on your social media platforms, which can tarnish your brand’s reputation.
These hashtags can also be utilized by companies to craft distinct content aimed at addressing concerns and issues.
One option is to generate hashtags that focus on providing feedback, addressing issues, answering inquiries, and submitting ideas.
To keep track of brand mentions across the web (including social media), social media tools like Mention are useful. Mention allows users to monitor all instances when their brand is referenced.
By utilizing the information acquired through these tools, you can adapt your marketing tactics and cater to the preferences of your intended audience.
Create a Loyal Customer Advocate Base
It is inevitable for businesses to encounter dissatisfied customers, however, it is possible to be equipped with the necessary skills to handle them effectively.
Develop a devoted customer advocate following that will consistently support your brand in any situation.
If a dissatisfied customer expresses their feelings, your devoted clientele can defend your enterprise and offer guidance.
In situations where you are unable to provide an immediate response to an upset customer, having loyal customers can be advantageous. Additionally, a dedicated group of supporters can serve as a testament to potential customers that your business is deserving of their time and financial investment.
In the event of a dissatisfied customer initiating an online tirade, your group of supporters can assist in minimizing the fallout. Their endorsements are viewed as more genuine as they are not motivated by compensation or rewards.
Use your faithful customers to spread the word about your brand or products organically. Invite contented customers to share their encounters with your offerings.
Allow them to demonstrate to the world all the successful accomplishments you’ve made – it’s the most effective form of promotion and no payment is required.
Brands may face difficulties in attracting followers on social media, but providing exceptional customer service can greatly aid the process.
Be Available and Responsive
Being engaging and directly involved with customers is crucial in customer service. When customers approach you with complaints or questions, they anticipate your attentiveness.
It is crucial to give your full attention to customers when addressing their complaints or queries so that they feel heard and valued. Demonstrating your attentiveness shows that you prioritize their concerns.
When you deliver an inadequate response or don’t correctly react, it will reflect poorly on your company. Although you’re dealing with an individual, your whole target audience could be watching.
Ensure you have a committed customer service team that caters to your worldwide customer base and remains accessible round-the-clock.
Ensure that the team is equipped with the necessary skills to effectively handle dissatisfied customers and feedback. It is also imperative that they possess proficiency in the utilization of technological resources and software to improve the quality of customer service and safeguard customer information.
Gathering information from customers to gain insights into your brand’s sentiment may also be a consideration for the team.
Even a brief response or temporary solution must always be provided to customers.
A lack of response is just as unfavorable as a negative response, since customers expect to be listened to and recognized, particularly on social platforms.
Once your customers have obtained the assistance or guidance they required, show your appreciation by responding with a cheerful emoji such as a smiley face or thumbs-up. It’s important to continue engaging with them even after resolving their issue.
Using automation tools, specifically ChatBot – the AI chatbot software, is a great approach to ensure your customers receive prompt response and engagement. It is capable of assisting customers by providing advice and guiding them before they reach out to your customer service team.
Implementing automation in customer service can result in a dual benefit of reducing expenses and enhancing customer contentment, making it a mutually advantageous approach.
Be proactive
Providing self-service information resources is necessary if customers frequently ask the same questions.
Educational content can be shared effectively via your customer service channels on social media. Creating how-to videos or best practices blog posts are ideal examples.
The primary objective is to assist customers in maximizing the benefits they derive from your merchandise.
In case you provide an online service, it is advisable to share notices regarding any service problems.
These resources can aid in diminishing the volume of support requests received and are a convenient source to direct individuals with uncomplicated support inquiries.
Self-help resources can be effectively shared through pinned posts and Instagram Stories highlights.
Manage customer expectations
The world has varying expectations for social media customer service from different companies. It is not expected that a small shoe shop provides the same customer service as Amazon.
The approach of using social media for customer service may differ depending on the team’s size and capabilities. However, it is crucial to manage customer expectations accurately, regardless of who you are or what you can provide.
Provide clarification on the available hours of your service team (such as Apple’s Twitter availability from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. PST), as well as an estimated response time. Inform customers of any alternate resources that may offer quicker solutions.
Try a chatbot for common service requests
Providing fundamental social customer service 24/7 is an excellent advantage of chatbots. In a study conducted among banking and insurance clients worldwide, the most significant benefit of chatbots aided by AI was their non-stop availability.
FAQ chatbots are a valuable asset when your team is unavailable, as they provide customers with instant answers to frequently asked questions. These bots are particularly effective for addressing straightforward inquiries. Find out more about using chatbots for FAQs.
Take public conversations private
It’s possible for clients to reach out to you via social media with inquiries or demands that would benefit from a more secure mode of communication. These could involve sensitive data such as a reservation code or username.
By using Facebook, you have the ability to switch from a public comment to a private message in order to communicate more privately using Facebook Messenger. Simply click on the Message option beneath the customer’s post to engage in confidential communication.
After sending your message, a notification will be displayed under the comment indicating that the page responded privately. This informs other users that their request was acknowledged, even though the response is not publicly visible.
When replying to a customer’s DM on Instagram or Twitter, leave a comment to inform them to check their DMs. Doing this allows other people to be aware that you have taken steps to address the customer’s concerns in a private manner.
Analyze your social customer service regularly
Taking a break from social media customer service once in a while can help you learn and improve, as it may be difficult to gauge progress otherwise.
Examining your social customer service on a broader level, whether it’s on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis, enables you to notice recurring issues and patterns. Moreover, it gives you the chance to pinpoint any obstacles hindering your service team’s progress and to identify your top-performing customer service representatives, who might be able to impart their knowledge to other team members.
By using Hootsuite, your social customer service team can enhance their performance with the use of data analysis and investigation. Effortlessly gather comments, create customer service objectives, and administer consumer satisfaction surveys to promptly discover the successes and shortcomings. Additionally, you can keep tabs on productivity through the duration and quantity of steps taken to solve inquiries- whether it be by an individual, team, or geographical location.
Take the high road
Your social media customer support queue may encounter intense emotions, but it is essential to maintain composure and professionalism while providing excellent customer service through any communication channel. Regardless of the circumstances, it is important to remain calm and collected at all times.
It is crucial for businesses to prioritize customer satisfaction regardless of the circumstances. However, in the online world, there is a higher chance of negative comments or confrontations being captured and shared publicly. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a professional and polite attitude even in private conversations. If a customer or a critic is causing frustration, seeking support and advice from colleagues can be beneficial.
When you are uncertain, always keep in mind this well-known saying: refrain from speaking if you cannot say something kind.
Add a personal touch
By using individuals’ names (“Brian, thank you for informing us about the lack of cheese in your quesadilla!”) and concluding with your name or initials, you can create a more personal interaction.
By pointing out that there are actual individuals reading their comments on the other end of the internet, even the most heated exchanges can be defused.
Humor, emojis, or gifs could be suitable for social media customer service replies, provided they align with your brand voice.
