Most people already own a smartphone. Together with an advanced development on this kind of device, the increasing number of social media apps and users are tied to it. People who don’t own a social media account are very rare nowadays, that is why more businesses tap the power of social media in reaching out to customers.
What is Social Media Customer Service?
Social Media Customer Service is done by using the built-in functions of social media sites and apps for customer support services. As mentioned, there is a growing number of social media users every day – making it a perfect tool to attract new customers and assist the existing ones. Most users also prefer using this method as it makes reaching out to companies easier than ever.
Social media apps bundle their service by offering communication services such as instant chat messaging and video calling. Therefore, companies need to know how to do it well. Most likely, these features are given to businesses for free and only need manpower to run smoothly.
These tips will help any company to use the power of social media to its advantage.
1. Creating a (Verified) Business Account
The first step in starting a social media customer service is by creating a verified account. A business will know that the account is verified as most social media sites will tag a checkmark (commonly in blue) once they have proved the identity of the account.
The verification will add to the customer’s confidence by contacting the official page of the business and not from posers that could lead to scamming, phishing, and identity theft. It may take time for any accounts to get verified but until then, promote the social media page to get customers to start utilizing the service.
Check regularly for fake accounts and increase the follower’s awareness by informing them on the specifics of the genuine account, like having more followers or subscribers compared to the bogus ones. It is recommended to create a separate account dedicated to customer support. This will avoid users posting on the business account for their concerns, which could give a negative perception to other page visitors.
2. Using Social Media Management Software
Luckily, there is a social media management software that can help in proper utilization and provide better social media customer service. Choose the one that can provide support to more social media platforms, as some could be limited to Facebook and Twitter.
This kind of software is better than checking on each account one by one. It will allow monitoring conversations easily by checking all platforms side by side. Some have the option to see updates or respond easily to those that need more attention.
Chatbots are also available for selected social media accounts such as Facebook Messenger. It can help in answering frequently asked questions and avoids adding easy-to-answer questions to the queue. It will also give time for the manpower to respond with the existing messages than adding to their workload directly.
3. Formulate Rules
The department handling social media customer service should create guidelines that will ensure the proper response are given to different kinds of customers. Social media is like an open book where everyone can see what people are talking about. Therefore, the response given should align with the company values while keeping a friendly tone.
In formulating these rules, consider the timeframe of each conversation, how to handle customer complaints, and creating templates to answer frequently asked questions. A company can also implement the use of its existing ticketing system that will help systematically solve customer concerns.
4. Checking for the Statistics
After formulating the rules on how to deal with customers, there should also be rules on how performance will be evaluated. The team should also have a quality check to see if the customers are receiving a response on time with the correct information.
Same as contact centers, employees handling social media customer service should also be given KPIs (Key Performance Indicator) that will assure that the given rules are followed. Examples of the KPI’s that should be considered are Customer Retention, First Contact Resolution, and Resolution Turn Around Time.
5. Knowing How to Properly Respond
Having a social media customer support team will be useless if it only responding from a list of templates. There should be a personal touch where the other person will feel that he or she is talking to a human. Using the first name or username of the person to personalize the conversation will grab the customer’s attention.
To provide a uniform answer to its customers, employees should be given access to a knowledge base. This tool is the source of information that will be used for responding to customer inquiries. Articles in the knowledge base should be easily searchable, complete, and with provisions to see previous changes.
It is important to know when public messages and inquiries should be made private. Social media platforms can send notifications to those who are related to the post, and it would be annoying to see that the person is not involved in the conversation.
6. Asking for Feedback
Since the users are already on the internet, take advantage by nicely asking them to fill up an online feedback form. It should be easy to answer and have an appropriate space to write for comments or anything that they would like to add. This will advise on how to improve social media customer service or the company’s customer service in general.
Social media is undoubtedly a powerful communication tool in today’s world. Not just for friends and families – but for businesses to get closer with their customers as well. To adapt to these modern advancements, it is important for any business to join the bandwagon in order to thrive. Online presence is essential to any business today.
