5 Ways Your Customer Service Is Slacking If You’re Not On Social Media

Last week while working from home my television suddenly blinked out. Then my home phone service went quickly followed by my internet. There was obviously something wrong with my WiFi and like any first world woman, I was immediately annoyed. So, I hopped on my cell (thank goodness for 4G) and reached out to my provider for support. Their preferred channel of communication for customer service? Twitter. And I’ve got to say, it was pretty awesome. After a few public tweet exchanges we moved to a private message discussion and some troubleshooting actions taken with their direction, a service ticket was opened up. Within 24 hours they had located the failed wiring across the street, restrung it, and bam! I was back up and working like nothing had happened.

@sweateredmary Help is here! Did you loose any power recently? ^TNT

— Verizon Support (@VerizonSupport) April 17, 2016

Now, something special to note about my experience is that my communications company directed me specifically to social media for customer service. Instead of submitting an email to some unknown destination or calling a phone number to “listen carefully as our options have changed” then being forced into a five-minute-call-prompt-chain followed by a five-minute-minimum hold, my public tweet was responded to in about 120 seconds.

I understand that not all businesses have the ability to employ a 24/7 social media help desk like my ginormous communications company can. However, if your customers are anything like me (and I guarantee they are), they are looking for your business on social media. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly two-thirds of American adults used social networking sites in 2015. More incredibly, 76% of internet-using adults used at least one social networking site. In 2013, a study by J.D. Power & Associates showed that 67% of consumers contacted a company for customer service through the social media profile and 43% of younger consumers (18-29 year olds) are “more likely to use brands’ social media sites” for customer service than for brand marketing (23%).

Here are 5 ways your customer service is slacking when you can’t be found on social media.

1. Transparent Customer Service

   When my internet service blinked out and I sent my first tweet, it was public as well as time and date stamped. Even when the conversation moved to private messaging, a log of the service continued leaving no possibility of a he-said/she-said problem. This not only holds your business accountable for how it conducts itself publicly, it also gives your customers peace of mind knowing that they’re being treated with the best care. By answering their questions and problems quickly, efficiently, and politely, they leave with a happy feeling and are confident that they matter to you.

2. Immediate Satisfaction

   We live in a society of instant gratification and we hate to wait. The next time you’re in line at the grocery store doing your weekly shopping, take a moment to look at the faces around you who are waiting too. You will most likely notice an impatient mask until they are finally greeted by the checkout clerk. Now, imagine your customers wearing that mask while they wait for an email to be answered or a phone call to be connected to a customer service rep. The more they wait, the more impatient they become and the less likely they’ll be pleased when they are finally heard. Social media eliminates this wait time (provided that the admins assigned to your social media accounts are quick on the draw). When a message or post is made to your Facebook, Twitter, or G+ accounts, notifications can be sent immediately prompting your company to take action. Even if the issue requires more time than is immediately available, your business can respond to the request assuring your customer that they have been heard and that you care about their problem and satisfaction.

3. Making It Personal

   Rather than being just a service ticket number your business has to respond to, social media allows for a brand experience that is personal to your customer. They know that an actual person is speaking to them behind your brand’s page and this allows a blend of personalized customer service in your business’ voice. While having standards and guidelines is recommended to ensure your brand’s voice is identified across all platforms, canned email responses and recorded scripts are eliminated in social media. This is a perfect place for your customer service agents to shine and bring genuine, human interactions to your customers.

4. Eliminating Friction

   Friction is that awful thing caused when two things rub against each other in opposite ways. Friction in commerce takes place when your customers are hit by hurdles and roadblocks that delay them from completing an action with you. This friction can be found in the time it takes for customers to complete any number of phone prompts just to be told there are eight other people ahead of them and that your company appreciates their business and thanks them for holding and by-the-way have they tried going online to public forums where an answer may just pop right up in front of them. Friction is also created when customers need an answer to complete a purchase – maybe it’s an answer about your product, shipping, or return policy. In any of these cases, when someone reaches out to your social media sites for customer service, this friction is automatically eliminated. There are no phone queues… no canned email responses… no drop down menus to choose from just to find out that their question is in that ever-gray “other” category which requires them to reach out to you directly anyways. It’s a one-stop-shop where they post you a comment or message and then your business responds.

5. Happy Customers = Repeat Customers (And Potential Brand Ambassadors)

   So what happens when you give your customers immediate and transparent customer service that’s personalized to them and is easy to ask for and receive? Provided that you are able to provide a solution to their problem or an answer to their question, you most likely have a very happy customer. And users of social media are much more likely to share this experience providing an opportunity for your business to be recommended to hundreds of other potential customers, fans, and followers while increasing your brand’s visibility. However, be forewarned -the same is true with negative experiences. Tales of social media interactions gone bad are not tales you want to be a part of so be sure that your customer service reps are up-to-speed on manners, efficiency, and training.

In the end, you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to contact you with their questions and problems. With social media use taking over more than 75% of online users, having and maintaining a social media presence is almost no longer an option for businesses who wish to stay relevant and connected. Does it take a little more time and effort? Of course. But the benefits the you could reap in the end are more than worth it.