Consumers, increasingly, are using social media to connect with companies; and this has led to a growing preference among users who would rather contact customer support representatives through social media versus over the phone.
Social media, in fact, represents an important opportunity for brands to engage with their customers on a deeper level and provide an outstanding user experience by delivering personalized social responses. Here are several reasons why a social media strategy is a smart move.
Customers are satisfied just knowing that someone is listening to them.
One of the most frequent impediments customer service leaders report in regards to implementing personalized responses on social media is just plain worry.
Specifically they worry that if they engage closely with too many customers who are looking for a refund, they will end up bleeding revenue uncontrollably. And, yes, some dissatisfied customers will certainly take to Facebook and Twitter because they believe they deserve financial remuneration or think they can get some sort of reward just by sharing their discontent publicly.
However, the vast majority of customers with valid complaints are simply searching for evidence that someone within your organization is actively listening and responding to user concerns.
Social media creates endless opportunities to personally acknowledge and address customer issues quickly. The key to succeeding with this strategy is to always keep your promises; if you tell a customer you’re going to follow up on an issue later, you absolutely have to do that.
Failing to respond after indicating you will do so is more harmful than ignoring the customer’s post in the first place.
Responding on social media is an act of empathy on your part.
The best customer service responses through social media indicate that first, the brand is listening intently, and, second, responding.
Listening breeds empathy; and consistently showing empathy for your customers’ distress is one of the most important factors in delivering an exceptional customer experience. This is especially true after there has been a service breakdown somewhere along the journey.
Even at that point, it’s still possible to show your clientele…