Social media have come to radically change the way customers, especially the youngest, relate to brands and companies. Whether we like it or not, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram have already become a new customer service channel and their relevance continues to grow day by day. As we will see, this is a great challenge for many companies and how they can use Social Media Customer Service.
¿What is Social Media Customer Service?
We can define Social Media Customer Service as that customer service that is provided through the different social media channels.
Given the nature of these networks, Social Media Customer Service tends to go beyond the support offered through other channels. In this sense, it is not only a matter of solving doubts or answering complaints, but the company must also respond to mentions or comments, seek opportunities for interaction, etc.
The current importance of Social Media Customer Service
Customer service in social media should nowadays be a priority for any company. Thus, young consumers increasingly value the possibility of interacting directly with brands and, above all, want to receive a quick response to their requests.
Consequently, no company can afford to neglect these types of channels if it wants to serve its customers well.
On the other hand, the design and implementation of a good Social Media Customer Service strategy has obvious benefits for any company:
- It has a decisive impact on generating a positive emotional experience for customers, contributing to their satisfaction.
- Increases brand loyalty and encourages customers to become advocates. Keep in mind that, according to multiple studies, more than 50% of customers who experience poor customer service leave the brand.
- It improves the global image of the company and facilitates the acquisition of new clients, acting as an indirect advertising tool.
Tips for designing a good Social Media Customer Service
If you want to develop good social media management in your company, you should take into account the following recommendations:
1. Quick response is key
As we said before, in the digital field, customers are used to receiving an almost immediate response to any query or demand. While in the telephone service the customer usually accepts that he must adjust to a more or less limited customer service hours, in the online service he expects a quick response at all times. Consequently, if the brand has a presence on social networks, it must be able to guarantee this type of attention.
2. Choose those social media channels that are relevant to your market
The company must be present where its customers are, so it may not be necessary to have a profile on all channels. Without a doubt, it is much more efficient to focus only on the most important ones and provide excellent service, than to offer mediocre service in a wide variety of channels.
3. Listen to your customers on social media
We refer, of course, not only to messages or direct inquiries, but to any type of mention of the brand that may require an appropriate response from the company. At this point, social media monitoring tools are of vital importance to collect and analyze all the information generated through these channels. It is important to know which product or service generates the most mentions or comments, at what times there is more activity, etc.
4. Determine which interactions should be answered in public and which ones in private
In particular, all those in which it is necessary to know personal data or private information of the interlocutor should be redirected to a private conversation. In these cases, the best practice is to respond in the public thread offering to help the client through a private message on the same social media channel.
5. Try not to leave messages unanswered
Although the volume of interactions in SSMM can be overwhelming, it is advisable not to leave questions unanswered, especially if they raise any doubt, protest or claim. If necessary, the response to generic mentions of the brand or posts with positive feedback could be postponed.
6. Personalize communications
Generic greetings and corporate flair often don’t fit in well with the casual nature of social media. In this sense, the Social Media Customer Service should always address the customer by her name and the agent should also sign with hers.
7. Be prepared for negative comments and respond appropriately
Inevitably, customer complaints are very common in SSMM. Given the enormous visibility of these comments, it is necessary that our customer service know how to properly answer. In this sense, you should always avoid responding defensively or attacking the customer in any way.
To sum up
In short, Social Media Customer Service is, increasingly, an essential part of any customer service strategy. In addition, it is a type of interaction that has a public impact and very particular characteristics compared to other more traditional channels.
For this reason, the company should take care of its customer service strategy in social media as a priority and train its agents in how to successfully deal with this type of interaction. The loyalty of its customers and the future growth of the company depend on this to a large extent.
