Transforming Customer Service With Social Media

Transforming Customer Service With Social Media 

Simply put, business is based on relationships. Our clients want to know we are credible and reliable but just as importantly they want to feel a personal connection with us. It is our job as successful markers to engage our clients in a way that makes them feel like we care about them while ensuring they receive the best service/product.

Think about this: social media is a platform through which people and businesses can engage in free, real time communication regardless of geographic location. 

So, what does this mean for your business? Regarding customer service, this could mean everything. According to Social Media Today, customers spend 20-40% more when businesses engage them with social media. Below are a few things to keep in mind when thinking about social media and customer service. 

Using social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ etc allow for customers and potential customers to "follow" or "like" our brands. This automatically gives us a list of people who have interest in the company and are more likely to respond to our news updates, promos, event invites etc. Aside from being able to share relevant content to an interested audience, we also can reach out to them directly. For example if my company sells shoes I can send out a tweet saying something along the lines of "we just released our new running shoe, what is your favorite color?". When followers reply we can respond to them directly, which acknowledges them as individuals and makes them feel a personal connection to our brand. 

Similarly to initiating conversation with our customers, social media allows a platform for customers to instantaneously reach us. By responding within a reasonable time frame (within 24 hours) to a client's request or question we have the opportunity to a.) direct them to the right information, increasing likelihood of a sale b.) make a personal connection with them c.) become credible and reliable in the customer's eyes. 

Unfortunately, with all the good that comes with the internet, there is the reality that our clients can post negative feedback online.If not addressed correctly, this can damage our reputation and deter clients from using our services. However, leveraging social media provides the perfect opportunity to fix these otherwise undesirable situations. We can respond to the negative feedback on the platform it was posted to, which shows our followers how we carefully handled the problem and worked to make it better. We can also reach out to the person with the complaint directly to make sure they feel comfortable with the solution. Both posting a solution publicly in response to initial negative feedback and responding directly to the upset client will help regain a positive image in a situation where otherwise our reputation could have been tarnished.

Keeping in mind that business is essentially based on relationships, using social media as a manor of customer service is an effective way to connect with customers and improve satisfaction.