Customers spend an average of 20-40% more with companies
that respond to their queries and complaints on social media. And a recent
study found that social media users expect a response to their questions within
30 minutes or less.
That's a big deal, especially since many consumers have
grown up using social media as a source of customer service and expect a fast,
efficient response from brands.
The good news is that social media customer service doesn't
have to be difficult - in fact, it can often be the easiest and most engaging
way to solve your customers' issues. And, because social media provides a
direct line to your brand, it's the ideal place to provide real-time customer support.
To start, you'll need to understand your consumers' needs
and expectations when it comes to social media customer service. This will help
you provide a faster, more accurate service, and make your customers feel
valued.
Listening to your customer conversations on social media is
a great way to find out what your customers are asking for and identify product
features that need attention. A listening tool can also help you uncover
potential problems and opportunities, such as new ways to market your brand.
You can even use this data to create an effective social
media strategy, so that you can meet your customer's needs and deliver a great
experience on the platforms that they already enjoy.
Having clear guidelines for your customer service process on
social media will help you ensure that you are delivering high quality customer
care. These guidelines should include a timeline of how to handle social media
inquiries, including what information is required to answer customer requests
and how often you will reply to each one.
Your guidelines should also be easy for your agents to
follow, and they should be consistent across all channels. This will build
trust with your customers and encourage them to continue interacting with you
on the platforms they love most.
Keep your responses brief, precise and friendly. When your
response is too long, it can come off as unfriendly and can turn off your
customer.
Remember to send a follow up message to your customer when
they've received a reply, or that you're working on the issue. This will let
them know you're on top of it and will save them the trouble of having to
contact your business again in future.
Avoid wasting time on common inquiries and questions that
are answered on other channels, by creating automated responses to these
inquiries on your social media platforms. These responses can also be used to
automatically direct conversations to the right representative, who will be
able to handle them much faster.
Aim to respond in a timely manner, as this will increase
your chances of converting a customer into a repeat or loyal customer. It's
also an excellent way to boost your reputation on the social platforms that
your audience is most active on, and can lead to more customers for the long
term.