If your business isn’t using social media for customer service, you are missing out on crucial opportunities to communicate with your customers, improve their experiences and stand out from your competition.
With an estimated 3.2 billion Internet users around the globe and new social media channels surfacing all the time, it’s likely that most of your customers utilize the convenience of the Internet to communicate. So how does this translate to your business?
Simply put, it’s essential for your business to be on social media to remain current. But how you show up on social media to interact with your customers is what truly dictates the success of your business. People want to be heard, and social media provides them an open line of communication to do so.
To illustrate how social media can be used for customer service, let’s say your customer has a complaint regarding your customer service department. She’s been on a lengthy hold to speak with a representative over the phone and is growing impatient and frustrated. To communicate her angst, she posts on Twitter mentioning her dissatisfaction with your company. Sure, this Tweet is probably mostly intended for you to see, but several other online users will be able to see it too.
If a representative from your company is consistently monitoring your social media accounts, they’ll be able to view the customer’s feedback immediately. This gives them the opportunity to turn a frustrated customer’s negative experience into a positive one – we call this reputation management.
Another important point to consider is that since this interaction is occurring over social media, thousands of eyes can view your response and how you handle the situation – not just your unsatisfied customer. This type of online interaction has the ability to make or break your business.
Providing good customer service through social media means that you’re constantly on the lookout to make your customer’s (and prospective customers) experiences better by being present and responsive in the areas they spend time in online.
It’s also worth noting that customers don’t just take to social media to complain about your business. People love sharing their excitement, anticipation and positive experiences over social media too. When your company is tagged in a post- whether the feedback is good or bad- you’re given a one-of-a-kind opportunity to acknowledge your customer’s comments and make them feel heard and appreciated.
Read Part Two of this X5 blog on April 21.
