Why Social Media Is a Customer Service Tool
Almost three-fourths of Americans use social media. That number is even higher for adults ages 18 to 49. If your business is not on a social channel, then you are missing out on opportunities to engage and learn about your audience. Social media isn’t only an information sharing and relationship building tool, it’s also an effective customer service tool. In fact, it may be one of the most important customer service tools you have available to you.
Social media is where your audience is.
The average person now spends anywhere from two to three hours a day on social media platforms. Many people, especially younger people, practically live on social media. If that’s where they are, then that’s where you should be too. If your customers all lived in Orange County and your store was in Los Angeles, you’d want to consider opening a store in the OC, right? Meet them where they are.
Social media is where customers share insights.
It’s easier to be honest behind a screen, so customers tend to share their opinions on social media. Your business should be reading the comments, responding to reviews and checking tags. In your stories and your feed, use questions and poll functions to ask your audience about their favorite features, pain points, etc. Then implement those insights in your customer service strategy. If you use a social media management platform that aggregates your engagement and audience data, you’re already ahead of the game.
Social media is where customers engage your brand.
Customers and companies exchange as many as one billion messages per month. That’s because most consumers would rather message your business than call. The problem is that almost half of business Facebook Pages take more than five days to respond. Market research company Forrester predicted that online customer service interactions would increase by 40% this year, and that number will probably continue to grow. In order to prepare for going engagement on social, consider implementing a chatbot or writing templated responses to common questions.
Social media is where you can manage your image.
If you receive the same comments or complaints over and over, social media can act as a megaphone where you can address the issue with many people at once. Even if only 5% of your audience sees a post where you’ve addressed an issue, that’s still 5% fewer people who will be in line at the customer service desk or on the customer support phone line. Also, you don’t have to address the issues directly. If many of your customers are concerned that an item seems bigger online than it does in person, for instance, then post a video of an influencer using the item so its size is a lot clearer. Customer service can be proactive as well as reactive.
If you are not currently using social media as a customer service tool, the time to start is now! Begin by creating standard customer service responses and ensuring someone is monitoring your page(s) during business hours. If you need direction, then you know where to go. Our social media management experts are ready to show you how to succeed! Let’s schmooze.
Biana Lerman, Account Executive
Elevate My Brand