How to Use Social Media for Customer Support
How your business uses social media can make all the difference.
In fact, social media interactions can make or break your brand. Not only does a social media presence show customers that you are in tune with the times, but you can actually use social media to improve the customer experience and customer service. When customers have issues using a product, they turn to social media platforms– especially Twitter and Facebook– to reach out to brands for help. And how a brand responds can make or break relationships.
Here are four tips to help make your customer service interactions on social media as positive as possible.
Respond, fast!
One recent study shows that 64% of consumers expect a Twitter response from a brand or business within an hour. Customers expect a response on Facebook too, with 85% of customers expecting a response within six hours, definitely before the end of a work day. Be sure to respond to any messages you receive, and do so with precision and speed. Even if don't have an answer right away, let your customer know you will work on finding a solution as soon as possible and give them a timeframe for when to expect a resolution.
Be respectful.
Even though you are on social media, which is more of an informal communication method, it’s important to stay professional. Never come across as negative or rude, no matter what a customer says. Always be tactful and stay solution oriented in responses. How you handle negativity online can majorly affect your image, even if you don't believe you were in the wrong in the first place.
Sound like a human.
When a customer reaches out to you, they’re looking to chat with a human, not a robot. Whether you’re responding to a private message, email, or post, be friendly! Genuinely strive to help the customer, and support their needs. If you are using messenger chatbots on Facebook, be sure to program chatbot language in a way that sounds human-like and pass on any complicated asks to a real customer service representative.
Be efficient.
Addressing a customer’s question or concern efficiently is super important. Not only should you be professional and swift with a response, but you should also ask the right questions to get real clarity on the situation. If dealing with a more complex query, exercise patience and send a follow-up message if needed.