Social Customer Service Lessons from 5 Favorite Brands
Social customer service is a key component of any omnichannel customer service strategy. Brands that provide excellent support on social media often see a dramatic boost in customer loyalty and sales.
Social media can also trigger spikes in customer demand that can be difficult to forecast, requiring a careful balance between staffing and technology to ensure you’re always responding to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Use Canned Responses
Canned responses are a great way to keep your customer service consistent. They help reduce team burnout and save time in the long run.
Predefined canned responses provide your reps with a streamlined response bank that eliminates the need for them to type each message manually. It also helps them be more efficient in their work, saving them hours of work a day.
Ultimately, they ensure your brand delivers excellent customer service, which in turn leads to happy customers who become your best brand advocates.
You can create canned responses for a variety of situations, including queue messages and refund requests. When you create these, be sure to include your company’s refund policy so that customers know what to expect. This will increase your credibility and make them more likely to use you again in the future.
Listen to Your Customers
Providing the right service for your customers is an important part of building relationships and trust. It’s also one of the most effective ways to improve customer satisfaction and retain them as loyal customers.
The key to providing the right service is listening. Listening to customers allows you to understand their needs and wants, which in turn helps you deliver the right product and service.
You can do this by monitoring your company’s social media channels and collecting feedback from your followers.
For example, a 2020 survey from Statista found that 33% of consumers take their issues to social media, which is why it’s so important for you to respond quickly to any negative comments.
Respond Quickly
The key to providing world-class customer service on social media is to respond quickly and efficiently to customer requests. Fast responses will make your customers feel more important and boost your reputation.
Those same quick responses will also increase the likelihood of customers advocating for your brand. This can lead to more sales and increased brand loyalty.
This is why it’s essential for companies to offer multiple social customer support methods – from a live chat option on their website to an app that handles all queries. Having only one method is too restrictive and limits the opportunity for customers to find a solution.
Take Ownership
Aside from listening, responding quickly and being proactive, taking ownership of a customer service interaction is another crucial factor in creating outstanding social customer care. It can make or break a support rep’s ability to build a strong and meaningful customer relationship.
Employees who take ownership of their work not only feel a greater sense of purpose, but they’re also more likely to perform their jobs well. This is because they’re committed to achieving the company’s goals and understand that they have an integral role in achieving them.
One of the most effective ways to encourage employees to take ownership is by offering them mentorship programs or other opportunities for personal growth. This can help them learn new skills and develop their professional knowledge, which helps them improve their performance and grow their careers.
Make It Personal
As consumers become more comfortable with interacting with brands online, they’re also embracing social customer service as a primary source of support. This shift demands a new set of tactics to ensure your brand is responsive and engaging in a way that doesn’t risk losing customers.
Make it personal:
When a customer interacts with your brand on social, they’re looking for a personalized experience. Whether it’s responding to their complaints in a personal tone or following up with a follow-up message to see how a product they purchased has turned out, showing that you care is essential for building trust.
This approach can be tricky to achieve, but it’s crucial to your business. These tips, from 5 of our favorite brands, can help you deliver excellent social customer service that keeps your customers coming back for more.