How and Why You Should Enhance Customer Service with Social Media
A recent television ad for a nationwide bank didn't use sound clips. Instead, it showed a banker flipping through signs with notes about how the bank is not there to talk at you. Rather, they want to hear from clients, about what they like and about what the bank can do better. This ad serves to highlight the importance of listening, rather than talking at a customer, through social media.
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Source: flickr.com
After all, it's easy to fall into the trap of talking at customers through social media, whether you're posting links to your products, or patting your company on the back with a client testimonial. But the best, most successful companies have realized that social media can really give them a leg up with potential customers... if only they're ready to listen.
This is about more than just posting polls and engaging customers through questions. Rather, it's about being a support system of sorts for your clients online. But how do you get started with customer service through your social media channels? First, find out where your customers are the most. While customer service historically has worked the best and most frequently on Twitter, Facebook is another site that's done well in the arena of responding to customers. Google+ can be a great place for interaction with customers, particularly through their Hangouts function.
What Not to Do With Customer Service
What Not to Do With Customer Service
While social media is wonderful when it comes to aggregating great customer reviews, it can be whole different can of worms when a customer complains online. That's why it's of the utmost importance to respond to a negative accommodations review on TripAdvisor, for example, or a customer complaint about a faulty bookcase, for example, on Facebook or Twitter. Silence makes a customer feel like they're not heard or valued, whereas a response shows that you're listening and that you want to make things right.
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Source: flickr.com
This means you should, by and large, reply to every message you receive on social media. Occasionally a canned response is okay, but social media is also a perfect place to personalize your customer's experiences with you. This means the social media manager or team you hire should be responsive and on the ball.
While silence is one of the worst things you can do when it comes to customer service online, it's not the only thing. Every interaction you have with a customer should be a positive one. That means don't pass a customer's complaint on to another department. Rather, figure out how you can help the customer now. If you, as a social media manager, aren't capable of resolving an issue, then ask the customer to direct message you online so that, one, you can get an explanation of their issue, and two, have time to find someone who can assist with their problem.
Create a Valuable Customer Service Experience
Customer service isn't just about addressing complaints. It's also about real-time responses, providing advice and showing that you know your industry. For an auto accident attorney, this might mean providing a general consultation by answering a question through Twitter or Facebook about injuries received after a faulty airbag deployment. For a travel agent, it may mean answering an inquiry about what the weather is like on the Amalfi Coast during the winter, or what restrictions airlines have when it comes to carry-on luggage.
No matter what your product or service, there's always a way you can assist your customers or clients online. What matters the most is that you provide timely responses that answer your customers or clients' questions – not redirect it into a sales pitch or hand off the problem or inquiry to someone else.
Social media allows you to create a personalized experience for your clients, both current and future. If you don't start responding to your clients online, then they might look elsewhere for help and their purchases, because you're no longer considered a valuable resource that knows how to listen.
Courtney Gordner is a passionate blogger with a love for social media and all things internet! Follow her on her blog, talkviral.com and on Twitter!
Contact us on Twitter, on Facebook, or leave your comments below. To find out about social media training or management why not take a look at our website for more info http://socialmediacambridge.co.uk/
How and Why You Should Enhance Customer Service with Social Media
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
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