Technology has changed the way we do business. Customer service shouldn’t be excluded from that realization.
In fact, customer service representatives should be ecstatic about this new development. After all, combining social media and customer service makes the process more effective, efficient and meaningful—everything a customer service representative hopes for!
Damage Control
Think of it this way: if you aren’t using social media to enhance the image of your company, you’ll wind up using it for damage control.
With the abundance of social media platforms, consumers are capable of flooding the web with bad impressions of your company if they see fit. If you aren’t actively working against those bad impressions, your company will definitely feel the effects.
That means your company needs…
- A social media savvy customer service representative
- To stay on top of social network activity
Peter Shankman, professed social media extraordinaire, recently state, “It’s no one’s fault but your own if your brand isn’t perceived the way you want it to be.”
The Stats
Simply Measured recently released findings of a social media review they conducted with various big-name brands. Here are some things to consider:
- 99% of brands surveyed had twitter accounts—that they used!
- Brands were using these social media accounts to reply to customer grievances and questions.
- 100% of customers expected a reply within 48 hours
- 67% of customers expected a reply within 24 hours
- 61% of customers expected a reply within an hour
- 32% of customers expected a reply within 30 minutes
- The average response time was 5 hours, 6 minutes.
- The best average response time was 42 minutes.
- Only 10% of companies surveyed replied to customer issues (on average) within an hour; however, 93% had (on average) replied within 48 hours.
- Companies should expect to hit a 100% response rate; however, nearly everyone could show signs of improvement. The average response rate was only 42% (the best was 75%).
How do your current customer service initiates compare to those in the study? Chances are, since these were some of the biggest companies in the world, your own efforts aren’t looking so good!
Does it Matter?
If major brands with dedicated social customer service representatives are struggling to keep online customers happy, why should you bother?
Here are nine reasons why.
- Social media is one of the least expensive marketing tools available. It also happens to be one of the most cost effective ways of appeasing customers.
- Since the primary requirement for mastering social customer service is the ability to socialize with consumers, anyone and everyone can do it.
- You’ll receive instantaneous feedback. Are you launching a new product? Ask customers to provide their input. What to know what services your customers really want? Ask!
- Take responsibility immediately and publicly. If customers are going to call you out on your actions publically, you had better be prepared to address those grievances in the same manner.
- You can build lasting customer relationships. Feeling appreciated, influential, and valuable makes customers assume they are more than a number in your year-end sales report.
- Stay one step ahead of the game. Use social media to “spy” on your competitors. What grievances are those customers voicing? By anticipating potential problems with your own customers, you head off issues before they arise.
- Everyone in the company can get involved in social media. If necessary, the CEO can jump into a twitter conversation and share input. That CEO isn’t nearly as likely to pick up the phone and talk to a disgruntled customer.
- Every single brand can find an applicable social media platform. Your potential customers are out there; social media can help you find them. It doesn’t matter what niche you are in, everyone can benefit from social customer service.
- Enhance brand loyalty. With all the website analytics and industry research projects out there, nothing will provide as much useful, applicable information as a social media account. Get to know your customers. Listen to what they have to say. Focus on what really matters to them. Gather valuable insight into your audience. Then, use that information. Create a customer service mentality that caters to exactly what your customers want. If you can do that, you’ll have loyal customers for life.
How to Implement Social Customer Service
Here are some tips that will help you get started with social customer service.
Always Reply
Once you establish a well-known customer support service on social media, you may find you get bombarded with queries. However, when you are just getting started, the interactions might be few and far between. Therefore, there is no reason why you can’t reply to each and every message.
Customers View Social Media as a Mode of Communication
You have a contact form on your website. Your email address and phone number are published on every available piece of marketing material. Customers have plenty of traditional methods to contact you.
But customers will still turn to social media to reach out. That means you need to be vigilant about checking your accounts.
One of the five best ways to prevent chargebacks is to improve customer service. Chargebacks are a forced credit card refund initiated by a cardholder. They eat away at profits and can eventually destroy your company if left unmanaged.
If a customer reaches out to you via social media to discuss the possibility of a return and you ignore their inquiry, the customer may file a chargeback—either out of frustration or retribution. They might not know of your other methods of contact and could see social media as the only way to reach you. And if you won’t issue a refund, a chargeback is their only option.
Start Small
It might be tempting to simply tell all your current customer service representatives to start replying to consumers via social media. However, this approach could be more trouble than it is worth.
Start with just one or two social customer service representatives. Provide specific, detailed training about how you want things handled. As the trend picks up, gradually add more representatives to the social media team.
Don’t add new employees until they’ve been properly trained.
Don’t Hide From Negative Feedback
People will use social media as a way to vent their frustrations. Don’t be surprised by this. And don’t ignore their concerns.
Use your social media account to address their problems. While promptness is important, useful information is necessary. Don’t just quickly provide a general platitude; give the answers the customers want—even if it takes you a while to track down the appropriate response.
Listen!
Listen to customers—both their praise and their critique. Spend more time listening than talking.
Get Involved
Social media is social. Therefore, you must be social! It seems pretty obvious, right?!
Engage with your customers. Don’t just throw a general auto-response out there. Dive in. Get to the heart of the matter.
Customers will feel appreciated and valued. Those positive associations will spread like wildfire to potential customers and create loyalty with the ones you already have.
Be Creative
Sometimes, the best form of customer service is the one that is the most bizarre, random, jaw-dropping action. Don’t be afraid to give it a try!
Social media is about much more than just Throwback Thursday pictures and hashtag abuse. It is about reaching out to and engaging with customers. Use it to your advantage and start building lasting relationships with your customers.
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