If there is anything in the recent past which altered human social behavior significantly, it is none other than Social Media. In about less than two decades of its existence, social media influenced our lives to a great extent. Like everything else, SM opened new means of engagement for customer support as well.
As the name suggests, customer service through Social media tools is called social media customer service. Social media become part of connecting, engaging and living. People are looking to connect to everything that matters to them on social media, including the businesses. Hence the demand for social media customer service.
If you take social media customer service for social media marketing, you’re wrong there. Both are distinct, except for both are based on social media.
To deliver the best social media customer service, follow the steps mentioned below.
1. Have a dedicated social media service account
If you want to get started, you should have a dedicated social media service account apart from regular social media accounts. It makes convenient to filter out service queries.
Also, if you have a separate social media account, ensure that it’s mentioned in your other social media pages and profiles. Usually, people come to the brand social site for support, if they see the separate account, they are more likely to go there with their query.
Response to the main social media account queries and gently forward it to the right people at the social media service handle.
2. Make it a top priority
Everything on social media is taken a bit casually. But that approach doesn’t work for customer service.
As the social media reach is huge and growing at a steady pace, it’s high time it found a due place in the overall service plans. Also, have dedicated staff, instead of managing with random people.
Remember, you are being watched, one positive move brings you so much attention than many of your advertisements. Hence, it should be a priority, both having social media service and the right team to man it.
3. Don’t wait to tag you
Most of the times, the conversations about the brands carried with hashtags rather than tagging the handles.
Studies indicate that more than 90% of conversations about brands use hashtags. Hence, you shouldn’t wait for tagging you to respond to a service issue or query. You should monitor the conversations about or relevant to your brand and respond as needed.
4. Create guidelines
Like regular customer services, the social media customer service needs to have certain guidelines too, in order to serve customers better.
Particularly response time and an escalation mechanism where customers can go if they are not happy with the services delivered should be in place.
The guidelines should also be in consonance with the organization value system and follow the regular customer support principles as well.
As it is social media, one aspect that should be kept in mind is the tone of the response.
5. Constantly expand the customer support idea
Customer Service on social media is not a fixed domain. Social media with its large presence offers great opportunities to get your message across at no extra cost.
Talking about trending issues by relating to your organization and business, often humorously, help to win people. On social media, keep an open mind to engage wherever required.
6. Always respond and respond quickly
Remember to respond always, whether it is a service query or the conversations about your brand, you should respond.
Responding to the issues of your domain or expertise with valued insights, witty but balanced statements help to win a few non-customer admirers as well.
And as far as responding, it should be quick, as quickly as possible.
One thing needs to be remembered here is, in the rush to respond quickly you shouldn’t pass on ill-informed or biased judgments.
Yes, you should respond to customer service query quickly but not adequately weighing.
7. Select the correct channel
There are many social media platforms. Each is popular with a set of people. Before starting social media customer service, you need to figure out where is your user base is active more. Accordingly, you should start your customer services. Eventually, you have to have your service presence on all popular social media platforms, but mastering one after other can be the right choice.
But, remember to monitor the conversations about your brand or products even on the social media platforms where your customer services are not there yet.
8. Take the conversations to private
When customers approach you on social media for service requests and queries, gently take the conversation to private. You may need more details like the bill or booking number and mobile number, etc. to verify the details and to reach back.
Asking for the same details on social media lead to exposure of user details to the public.
Remember, everyone is watching you on social media. Hence the need to exercise caution to take the user info.
Twitter and other social media provide for a direct message link, where the conversation gets to messaging on clicking.
Also, services issues may not always end up on a happy note. By keeping the conversation to private, it offers greater scope to solve the issues amicably than in public.
