The Key Elements for Providing Social Media Customer Care
Social media has grown into a powerhouse for businesses all around the world. Social media around the world and its reach is at an all-time high. This is all thanks to technology advancements that have happened within the past decade. Brands now use social media as their main source for customer service, digital marketing, boosting brand awareness, and engagement. Satisfying customer needs is an essential part in maintaining a brand’s image, which is why social media customer care is so important.
Customer service now is a lot different than it used to be. Although the same goal exists, which is to satisfy customer needs, it is now much more approachable and efficient due to the advancements in social technology. In fact, 67% of consumers have engaged a brand’s social media for customer needs, which is obviously a lot of exposure for a brand. Ultimately, the main objective is to develop an inclusive community via social media. One of the key elements to achieve excellent social media customer care is making sure to reply to followers as quickly as possible.
Traditional forms of customer service, such as telephone and email, and even more outdated, by mail, are not always available 24/7. However, social media is not only a lot more efficient, but in certain way it is a lot more user friendly for customers to get their questions answered. As a result, 42% of customers expect a response on social media within 60 minutes. Of course, for a growing brand this seems like an impossible task. At Bright Age, our team of marketing specialists see this task as an opportunity to help maintain your brand image. Word-of-mouth is one of the simplest ways of marketing online. As a result of good customer service, the community will feel more obliged to give positive feedback online, which others see and often make a decision to go with your brand over a competitor. For example, GoodRx, a client of Bright Age, showcased a positive review on their Instagram, which thousands of other potential customers can see.
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This is an excellent way of promoting social media customer care in a way that is refreshing for the community to see. It also forms a sense of reliability for the brand in a subtle way.
Another key element in providing social media customer care is making sure each and every person in the community is being heard. All forms of feedback, questions, and comments need acknowledgement. Just as no business would leave a customer unattended to in a store, it should be the same on social media. When responding to customers online, it should sound personable, not like a robot. If you can, always greet them with their name. This is an easy, personable way to reassure customers that they are talking to an actual person. If they are simply asking for more information or asking where they can find your other social media pages, providing links is a great way to help direct customers in the direction they are trying to go.
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As with everything, there is a line to draw when it comes to customer care online. Knowing what to post is crucial, considering people may interpret things differently. Of course, the hope for any business is that every review, comment, and remark is a positive one. However, some negativity is inevitable. The key is knowing how to combat negativity with positivity. For example, when a negative comment is posted, many businesses may feel inclined to defend themselves. However, this may not come off well to the community. The saying “the customer is always right” is certainly applicable for social media customer care. If someone posts a negative comment or review, it is possible that hundreds, even thousands of other customers will see this. An example of a positive response to a negative comment would start with a sincere apology, and end with a phone number to assist the customer better. Going back to the line to draw when knowing what to respond with, it is always better to leave the ball in the customer’s court, which is why giving a reachable phone number is a good idea when resolving a conflict.
When consumers need to ask a question or solve a problem, they turn to the digital world to get help, which is why social media in customer service plays a huge role in the success of a brand’s advocacy. Monitoring customer service can be tricky and hard to manage with a growing business. That is why digital marketing agencies such as Bright Age exist to help you manage every aspect of your business. Our specialists use social media management tools to assure the customer care needs are organized and settled efficiently.