How to Implement Social Media for Customer Service

Social Media for Customer Service isn’t a novel concept and, for most companies, an extension of their current customer service model. In order for it to be effective, businesses need to approach social as a true form of customer communication rather than just another place for cat videos or memes to be posted. By developing a strategy using its unique features to connect with your target customers effectively you can ensure they remain top of mind with them and encourage them to promote you further.

Customers increasingly turn to social media in search of help with issues or difficulties they’re encountering with your products and services. Establishing a responsive customer support team that can answer their inquiries and address their complaints can allow your business to build stronger relationships with its target audience, boost satisfaction levels and reduce time spent resolving individual issues.

Customer service is of utmost importance for any type of business – both large and small alike. But for e-commerce businesses specifically, providing great customer service through social channels is of even more value; one study revealed that just one negative experience on social media can cause up to 15% churn.

In order to provide customer support through social media effectively, companies must identify their best practices and gain insights from competitors in order to create a customized social media strategy that provides maximum benefits to their customers.

One way for companies to enhance their social media customer support is to establish a comprehensive knowledge base that covers frequently asked questions. Not only will this save time and effort for agents, but it will also serve to educate their audience on how best to utilize what they are purchasing from them.

Companies can enhance their social media customer service by monitoring the volume of inbound comments and requests on social media, which allows them to filter out those that do not require immediate response, as well as those which may contain helpful links, before prioritizing those requiring urgent consideration.

Companies should also recognize when an issue or question cannot be resolved via social media responses alone. For instance, if a customer asks for sensitive data they feel uncomfortable sharing online, companies need to know when and how best to move the conversation offline.

Integration of social media platforms with customer support departments offers many advantages; however, measuring its success can be challenging. In this article we will present five of the key social media metrics necessary for an effective customer support program.