No doubt at this point you have searched for a product or service online and read a review about it. Can you think of a time when an online review or recommendation changed your decision to purchase? Social media platforms (like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter) are an everyday part of people’s lives and they are used to voice an opinion, provide direct feedback, inform and entertain each other.
The power of social media is the ability to reach vast audiences and be heard with a simple click. Since people spend so much time on social media, smart companies leverage that opportunity and use social media as a tool to create a closer relationship with their customers. The reality is that these platforms are ignored at your own peril because the conversation continues, whether you are involved or not.
But let’s be honest, to include social media as a channel to support and communicate with customers can present a real challenge to a business with limited time and resources. It takes more than simply creating an account and occasionally updating it with pics from the office Christmas party. The crucial part is to find the right balance of what works best for your business goals in customer service.
In this article, we’ll explore three key aspects of a social media strategy:
• Best practices to get up and running
• Tools that will help manage and monitor social media channels for customer service
• How to respond to unhappy customers effectively
Getting Started
Every good business runs on plans and processes that act as guidelines for how to operate efficiently and effectively. Putting social media into that mix is no different. The blueprint for social media customer service starts with a plan that includes answers to these key questions:
• What channels are best for communicating with my customers?
Platforms like Twitter are great for speaking directly to customers and can help resolve issues immediately. LinkedIn is great for disseminating information about various industries, companies, even people. Facebook is a great way to link your company to the local community and events.
• How many social media channels do I need to use?
The key here is to keep it simple at first. Start with one channel and work on developing a plan to release information on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be every day; it can start on a weekly basis. It’s best to have a few topics already picked out and create a schedule to release them over time. When that first channel is up and running, then consider adding another.
• When should I communicate with my customers?
There are three scenarios that should have a plan in place from the beginning. First, create messages in advance that will be distributed on social media in case of an emergency. These will let your customers know the status of your business and can be updated over time. Second, have a standardized response ready in the case a customer uses social media to express a negative opinion or experience. This will allow you to respond quickly. Third, as mentioned above, use social channels to release industry info and data on a regular basis. This helps build credibility with customers.
Social Media Tools
Many parts of your business run on software that helps automate tasks for processes like invoicing, accounting, payroll, etc. Social media is no different, and using the right tools will automate a lot of the tasks associated with managing those channels for a successful customer service experience. There are literally hundreds of specialized tools, but what to look for are the ones that allow you to operate with an all-in-one type package. Here are a few of the most well-known:
• Hootsuite – a great social media management tool that provides easy to understand training, an easy to use interface (dashboards!), and a free version to get started. Hootsuite can monitor 25+ social networks and be set up with alerts that can go to specific people within your company to ensure quick and timely responses.
• Buffer – like Hootsuite, Buffer provides an easy to use interface. It can schedule posts and monitor multiple social media networks all at once. Where Buffer differs is its ability to provide analytics that can track your customers activity online and suggest the best times to contact them via social media. Buffer also includes an option where it can be used right in your browser. Buffer offers a free trial to get you started.
• SproutSocial – an all-in-one platform that can monitor and post to multiple social media channels through a single dashboard. SproutSocial is best known for its ability to delegate monitoring responsibilities to other employees within your company, thus helping you off-load those tasks while still able to keep an eye on them.
Respond Effectively
Social media networks allow you to respond and interact with customers on an immediate basis. It is important that customers view your business as ready to help when necessary. The negative impact of no response can lead to lost customers and open the door to being ‘bad mouthed’ online. This can be disastrous due to the ability to broadcast the message to literally millions of people with the simple use of a hashtag like #customerservicefail in the message.
The key to respond effectively to a disgruntled customer on social media is to use these simple guidelines:
1. Listen – the tools mentioned above are the first step in crafting a response. These will alert you that something has gone wrong. Have a plan in place on how to reply accordingly.
2. Acknowledge – a timely response goes a long way to diffuse a frustrated customer. Appreciate that they have taken the time to alert you to something gone wrong and let them know they are important.
3. Resolve – if the situation requires a more complete response, plan for the next step to be a DM (direct message) interaction with the customer (not unlike texting back and forth). From this point, you can decide to escalate further with a phone call or maintain the current open channel of communication. The absolute key is to make certain that the customer feels the issue is resolved or at least being addressed .
Sixty-seven percent of consumers have engaged with a company’s social media channels to address their needs and/or provide feedback (http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2013-social-media-benchmark-study). Social media is a great way to connect with customers and an opportunity to put your company front and center to showcase how important customer service is to your business. Don’t get left behind!
Editor’s Note: Glenn Meeks is an expert on marketing and sales for the pallet and recycling industries. He can be reached at gmeeks70@gmail.com.
