To say that social media has taken the world by storm would be an understatement. Personal interactions and even business correspondences now rely heavily on social media technology to do what older models of communication used to perform.
For businesses that are still adjusting to this form of communication technology, social media customer service is akin to a whole new realm of customer relations. Now more than ever, consumers’ expectations for quick and quality customer service is at an all-time high. And business owners are learning, albeit in different speeds, how to deliver a high-quality, social media customer service in order to create positive and memorable customer experiences.
To help you in this worthwhile endeavor, we have gathered the top three ways you can improve your social media customer service. Follow these expert-recommended strategies today to create customer experiences your clients will be happy to share on social media and elsewhere:
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Reply as fast as possible
This mostly has to do with the way we have understood and used social media on a personal level: within seconds of your post, you get notifications for new likes and comments to it. But your consumers expect pretty much the same speed from you as their personal contacts. Responding quickly to the messages they left on your social media channels is a guaranteed way to impress them with your customer service delivery and efficient operations and show them you value their time. We know “fast” is a very subjective and vague term, so to give you an idea of what the general consumer population expect, here’s what The Social Habit survey results showed: 32% of social media users expect a response within 30 minutes, while 42% expect one within 60 minutes. The truth is, even just acknowledging that you received their message works wonders. You can get back to their concern later on, just advise them it will take you some time to do so. Remember that a great customer experience begins with showing them respect through open communication. Tip: Make it a point to inform your clients of the times you are available to respond (or unable to respond) to their social media queries, so they can level their expectations.
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Fully engage with your clients
Considering how much time people spend on social media – an average of five years and four months in a lifetime – you may as well consider using your social media channels as more than your business’ Q&A pages. Fully engaging with your clients on social media means utilizing this platform for getting to know them and their needs better, for the purpose of serving them better. Consider holding fun contests or providing exclusive perks to your social media followers. You may also feature a particular customer for a week, as The/Studio did. You may also post relevant content that your customers may find interesting or useful. To fully engage with your clients, you must fully utilize the channels they frequently use – in this case, social media – and use it to bring value to them, every day. Remember, the gauge of how great a customer experience is if it brings happiness and value to your customers’ lives.
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Reciprocate when you communicate
A sign of good social media customer service is using the same tone of communication your customers used when crafting your responses. Speaking their language, their way, is a proven strategy to make your customers feel comfortable and at home with your brand. Remember, a great customer experience rests largely on effective and personalized communication, so make sure you reciprocate when you communicate with your customers.
Following these three steps will help you improve the quality of your social media customer service and the customer experiences you create for your clients.
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