Social Media Tasks for Customer Service Pros

The Social Media Age is now. The future is upon us, and the Customer Experience is better than ever before!

Or at least it should be. 

Customer service has changed - but not all businesses have caught on.

Social media and digital technology means that:

• Data needs to be captured from lots of different places
• Responses to feedback and queries have to be given in multiple new formats
• Customers expect everyone they deal with at the company to know what interactions they’ve already had and how to resolve their problems
• You can't plead '9 to 5' when there's an out of hours customer service issue, as British Airways found out last week

Success in customer service today is not just about technology; it’s about people. Social media is the perfect platform for your organisation to prove it can be understanding, engaging and helpful.

Here are 8 things customer service professionals should be doing on social media:

Be Prompt

If there's one thing guaranteed to turn a disgruntled customer into an enraged one, it's being ignored or made to wait after they've bothered to make a complaint. Even if you don't necessarily end up solving the problem, letting them know you're on it is a big help.

Apologise

Knowing when to say sorry for an issue is vital. Even if the customer isn’t always right, they should always feel like they are. So if they feel something has gone wrong, apologise for it.

Crowdsource new ideas

Does a customer have a reasonable recommendation on how your products and services could be improved? Is the idea achievable and able to deliver more benefits?Then say yes to doing it! You can also gather ideas for content (see below), improving customer engagement and proving that you can listen as a business.

Let them know you care

Making customers feel that you appreciate their business will keep them coming back for more. Use your social media platforms to offer your fans free tips, useful information and even the occasional prize giveaway.

Help and educate

Help your customers to understand and your products and services – if they feel unsure or confused about any element of it, they’ll be slow to invest and quick to complain. If your product is tech-based, make sure you have technical staff on standby to help customers troubleshoot problems.

Listen

Social media is not just a place to broadcast your products and services - it's a place where you can listen to your customers and find out what they think, want and need. Seek feedback on all customer touch points to identify what’s working for your customers and what’s not, then change it.

Sell! 

Although rightly considered best for soft engagement, social media platforms are also places to build trust, nurture future customers, and repeat buyers. LinkedIn is particularly valuable for getting business visitors and leads, while Facebook is more of a consumer arena.

Track Communication

Keeping in touch and nurturing customers. Track  to make sure you don’t overdo it, and use the results to personalise the service in line with your customer’s engagements. 

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