Social Media: The Key to Personal & Efficient Customer Service
What is it about calling customer service that makes our skin crawl? Between being put on hold with that awful elevator music, wasting hours arguing with minimal results, and being transferred to another department just to be put on hold again, calling a business’s help line can feel like one of the circles of hell. But it doesn’t have to be a painful experience. More and more, companies are making a conscious effort to up their customer service game – and a lot of this is due to social media.
If your business hasn’t started using social platforms to address customer concerns, here are three reasons why social media should be an integral part of your customer service strategy.
1. It’s Instant.
We live in an era of instant gratification. Consumers want to know that their comments are heard and receive feedback as quickly as possible. Social media is perfect for timely problem solving. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook encourage prompt responses from companies and being available to your customers on social media gives them the confidence that their issue will be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Instead of sitting on hold or constantly checking their email to see if there has been a response, customers will receive a notification as soon as there’s been a reply. Just make sure that you’re responding quickly! Otherwise, a customer’s issue will be left in plain sight, unresolved, for all to see.
2. It’s Transparent.
Transparency is essential when a company is trying to make a genuine connection with their tribe. Consumers often feel like big companies have something to hide and are trying to sweep their problems under the rug, hoping they don’t resurface. Social media puts the entire customer service interaction out in plain sight where potential or returning customers can see what problems others have encountered and what your company did to rectify it. Customers want to know that they can count on you to listen and, more importantly, respond. This level of transparency will help to breed trust among your following and increase customer loyalty.
3. It’s Personal.
Most social media users use it to stay connected with friends and family, meaning most of their interactions are personable and friendly. Having customer service available on social media allows businesses to interact with their followers on this same personal level. This encourages better engagement and interaction, which will help increase your online presence and therefore brand awareness.
Customer service doesn’t have to be a pain. Being available to your consumers, when done correctly, is good for both the company and its consumers. Instant, transparent, and personal interactions can turn an obscure brand into a thriving business.