How to Use Social Media to Provide Excellent Customer Service

Social media has become a game-changer in various aspects of life. Communication for instance. Initially, you would be forced to send a rider to inform your sibling that you have been blessed with a child. It would take days of course, sometimes even months depending on the proximity of the recipient.

Today, social media has made communication much more manageable. Families and friends can share loads of information within a blink of an eye. Social media has, however, has not been limited to sharing photos. Businesses are increasingly embracing this technology to boost their sales and get more customers.

Statistics show that Facebook has 2.19 billion active monthly users. It is for this reason that brands value Facebook share counter. They trust it to give them reports on the number of users who are interested in their content and provide them with some insight on various metrics for them to refine their brand.

That said, you are aware that social media platforms allow brands and users to interact. The interactions are focused on identifying gaps, opportunities and most importantly, addressing customers’ issues. Being able to give your customers solutions to their problems is a step closer to creating authority for your brand and increasing your reliability in the eyes of your customers.

Customer service is an essential aspect of any given business, and you should ensure that it entails the best practices. The following tips will help you provide the best customer service to your audience n social media.

  1. Pick the best platform

While it might be okay to have a presence in more than one social media platform, there is still no point in you spreading yourself short. Focus on a platform that best suits your audience. Take care of your customers by first knowing where they are.

Different platforms work for different demographics. For instance, Facebook may work with everyone, but Instagram and Snapchat work better with the youthful generation. Pinterest, on the other hand, works for the female population.

By establishing your presence where your customers are, you make it easy for them to access customer support at their most preferred arenas.

  1. Keep track of social media mentions

If you want to give your customers the best support, then social media mentions are not something that you should be ignoring. Why? It is through mentions that customers get to seek help.

You do not have to spend the whole day staring at your phone or laptop waiting to spot a mention. There are several tools that you could use to keep track of them.

  1. Speed

You need to take care of the speed at which you respond to your customers. You probably have come across reviews. You can attest to the fact that a significant percentage of the positive submissions are attributed to the fact that the brand was able to give a prompt response to queries or issues.

According to a survey done by Social Habit, 32% of people who use social media expect a response in less than 30 minutes.

It tells you that you should respond as fast as you can if you want your customers to regard your customer support for being perfect.

  1. Build a relationship with your customers

How do you build a relationship with your customers? You can start by focusing more on responding to their comments rather than directing all your energy to market your brand.

Relationships on social media are built by engaging in conversations with your audience.

  1. Carry out a precautionary social media care

Who said you have to wait until a customer is faced with an issue then comments on your page? You can keep your customers on the knowledge of any potential problems before they even crop up.

For instance, if you are an internet service provider, you can let your customers be aware of an anticipated downtime before it happens. It will make you appear to be reliable, caring and thoughtful in the eyes of your customers.

  1. Make use of feedback

Do not make feedback and customer complains just an avenue for you to shine after resolving their issues. Make it a learning opportunity and use it to prevent the occurrence of similar problems in the future. Use such information to refine your brand.

  1. Be consistent with the channels

You should stick to the same channel that a request was delivered on. Jumping ship will make you appear as evasive. If someone made a complaint on your Instagram page, there is no point in going directly to the customer’s email to address the issue.

You should first take care of the problem on that particular page before you decide to resort to anywhere else.

Remember that customer support is essential in building your brand. You need to do it right by taking note of the mentioned tips.