How To Be A Social Customer Service Superstar

Written by Erica Bell

A number of studies have found that more and more people are embracing social media and are engaging with businesses on these networks. When 80 percent of online users in the US using social networks, there’s a large customer base your business can tap into online. However, social media isn’t just about marketing your content online, your business should consider the many reasons a customer could reach out to your business on a social network, including customer service. Incorporating customer service to your social media strategy is a smart move that can lead to greater customer loyalty. Here’s how you can become a social customer service superstar.

Create a New Account

Depending on the size of your current customer base as well as the number of resources you can offer, creating a customer service specific account on Twitter may be beneficial. This way, you can reach those with questions directly on one account while sharing content and news on another. Having a separate account specifically for social customer service is often easier to integrate with your CRM software system and will help your team ensure all customers receive answers to their individual problems or questions. Use your main social media account for positive customer interactions, handling large issues and spreading marketing messages and content.

• Fast Stat: 71 percent of those who experience positive social care (ie, a quick and effective brand response) are likely to recommend that brand to others, compared to just 19 percent of customers that do not receive any response (NM Incite).

Find Your Customers

Your customers are on social networks, that is a given. Knowing the networks they’re on and the questions they have isn’t. Businesses need to become better social listeners and get involved with customers who have service and support questions. Some Twitter users won’t use directly mention you in a tweet using the “@” functionality. Others won’t tag your business on Facebook with a question about your product or service. If the people you can connect with on social media networks aren’t tagging your business, it’s up to you to find them through search and brand mention monitoring.

• Fast Stat: Nearly 1 in 3 social media users prefer to reach out to a brand for customer service through a social channel compared to the phone.

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Be Efficient

In the first “Fast Stat,” we saw that 19 percent of customers aren’t receiving the social care they are after. No response to a customer with a service or support question could cause them to turn to one of your competitors. Part of being a social customer service superstar is being effective. Timely responses with the information the customer is after is how your business can be the most efficient. Make sure employees are trained to respond to common questions and have the resources they need to direct messages elsewhere if needed.

• Fast Stat: Among social media users, consumers are most likely to comment on or ask a question on Facebook, both on the company’s page (29 percent) and on their personal page (28 percent), followed by the company’s blog (15 percent) and then by Twitter, both on a personal handle (14 percent) and a brand handle (13 percent).

Customers expect a quick response when they reach out to businesses. After all, if you don’t provide someone with a timely answer, they can seek out their next product or service from a company who does. Businesses compete for customers. Yours can take first place and gain an edge over the competition with great social customer service. These networks are where your customers are and you need to take on the responsibility of better social service. Just remember to be available, whether it’s instant messages or a separate account, find your customers who have questions, and be efficient with your responses.

About The Author

Erica Bell is a web copywriter for small business resource site Business.com. She writes on a number of topics including business phone system improvements and social media trends. Connect with Business.com on Facebook