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Earlier people used social media platforms to share the photos, comment on it, and connect with their long-lost friends. But the scenario has entirely changed in the recent years. Especially the rise in the social media marketing and digital marketing systems have wholly transformed the face of such platforms. This change is said to continue further since it is proved to be the best place to promote the brand and connect with all the audience. It isn’t the end.
Now the marketers started using it as a customer service channel to listen to the issues of customers and resolve it quickly. According to some surveys, the companies that began with this approach received good response from their clients and also built a strong customer base. If you are not one among them, it’s time to integrate it into your marketing mix before your competitor does so. There are various reasons why companies must switch to social media as their customer service channel. We listed a few of them below.
Why Should You Use Social Media as Your Customer Service Channel?
(Source: LinkedIn, Oracle, Dimensional Research)
- It is the cheapest mode of customer service. That is, it only costs 1/6 of the total cost of a call center service.
- If you offer positive customer service through social media, 71% of consumers are said to recommend your brand to their friends and family.
- If you do not respond to the queries shared on social media platforms, it is proved to decrease the customer support by 50%.
- The favorite social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook can respond to the customer queries with 48% more accuracy and 44% faster than any traditional email setup.
- Studies have also proved that the customer retention rate is almost 92% for the companies that provide the best social customer service.
- According to Oracle, following a bad customer service experience, nearly 89% of customers started doing business with the competitors.
- As per the survey conducted by Dimensional Research, around 45% of customers use social media platforms to share bad customer service experiences.
Things to Follow to Provide the Best Social Media Customer Service
The above statistics show the importance of customer service in social media sites. If you just planned to implement this strategy in your business operations or if you struggled to offer the best customer services in this platform before, read further to learn how you can be one among the top social media customer service provider online.
1. Don’t Be A Robot
While communicating with your clients in social media apps, you represent your brand and company as a whole. So, you must use the right tone and craft the right message to deliver the best customer service. Do not sound like a robot or do not be impersonal while dealing with the consumer’s issues. Try to be more human and make them feel you are concerned about their problem and resolve it quickly.
2. Be Available for Your Customers Always
Since social media apps do not have any closing hours, you must follow the same pattern if you are using this platform as your customer service channel. That is, you must be available for your consumer 24 hours a day. Although it seems tiresome, you must train and arrange your customer service team accordingly. Also, leave a note or let the customers know if you are going offline in worst case scenarios.
3. Greet Your Customers by Their Name
Customers always love to feel appreciated or valued by their favorite brands. Hence you must act accordingly to keep them satisfied. Try to make your messages or solutions more personalized. You can implement this strategy by using their name or initials while communicating with your clients.
For instance, a modest greeting with a “Hello [name]” or “Hello [initials]” will give a personalized touch to your messages.
4. Respond to Every Comment, Feedback, and Queries
Your customer service team must respond to every comment, feedback, posts, or reviews the consumers make in social media platform. The customers expect you to hear their problems as well as appreciate their efforts instead of ignoring it blatantly. Besides, the queries posted by them will be public most of the time making it visible to everyone. So, the more you respond to their feedback or questions, it will not only make your customers happy but also gain the attention of other followers on your social media page.
5. Reply as Quick as Possible
According to the research conducted by Convince & Convert, 32% of customers expect a response from you within 30 minutes in social media apps whereas 42% of the user expect it within 60 minutes. This survey shows the importance of replying quickly to your customers through these platforms. If you fail to do so, the customers will stop using your product and will also recommend their friends and family not to do business with you.
6. Resolve Some Issues in Private
You may receive different types of queries or comments on your brand in social media platforms. It is your responsibility to determine which issues you must resolve privately through emails or phone call. In a few cases, you can respond to their queries publicly that helps other audiences as well. But there are some cases which need careful handling when it comes to satisfying the customers. Hence decide the space to resolve their issues before jumping to the next step.
7. Deal Negative Feedbacks Wisely
Whenever you receive a wrong or negative feedback from your customers, try not to defend yourself. Instead of ignoring such comments or responding harshly, you must learn to deal with it in a positive tone. Especially on the public platforms such as social media, every other customer can hear your conversation. Hence you must try to stay calm and resolve their issue quickly. Respect their comments and make them feel they are always right.
8. Use Social Media Customer Service Tools
There are various tools online that ease your job as a social media customer service provider. You can buy them if you want to keep your customers happy with your immediate response. Using these tools, you can listen to customers across various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many more. Also, such accounts can be managed by a single person in your team or any customer service representative.
Wrapping Up
Be ready to utilize the power of social media platform to the fullest. Don’t just post your company news, offers, or announcements, you must also use these apps as your customer service channel. Keep your customers happy by responding to their queries quickly. The more you make them feel valued or appreciated, they will not only come to you for their next business but will also recommend your brand to others. It is a positive word-of-mouth marketing that helps your brand go viral in the online space with less effort from your side.
