Social Customer Services For Your Brand

Every business owner small and large understands or at least recognises the basic customer service concept: the customer is always right. It’s a simple concept that has been passed around every industry and set the benchmark for all customer facing roles to date.  After-all we know an unhappy customer will tell 10 other people, right?
Well yes and no.  We now think its more a case of an unhappy customer will tell 100’s, 1000’s and in some cases millions of other people….which quite frankly is terrifying for a brand.
Many large businesses have seen PR nightmares destroy their bottom line and even put them out of business due to bad customer handling.  In some cases it can be something as minor as delayed responses that can see an internet meme or witch hunt flood your social feeds and contact addresses.  Businesses are now in a state of panic in an effort to be pleasing customers who as a society want more personal service for their money.  The scariest part for most is the sheer manpower and knowledge needed to cater 24/7 to potential and existing customers.  After-all it will only take one complaint from one customer who has a strong social presence which could see months pass before your company can recover.  If it ever does.
Social customer service and social customer interactions are the bulk of all PR in 2018.  Customers want responses and they want them quickly.  Customers also demand a human from their country responding.  Customer want to be able to get in touch at the drop of a hat through a social platform they are comfortable using with their followers in tow.
Fear not – our in-house social customer service experts have an average of 9 years within the social media customer service niche serving and specialising for many large businesses in many niches.
Here are 3 areas our experts suggest you focus on heavily:

Social Response Time

What is it?

‘Social response time’ refers to how long it takes you as a business and/or brand to respond to direct messages, mentions and tags made by customers (current & potential).  Customers expect to be responded to within 4 hours depending on niche and service/product.

How Will It Benefit Me/My Business Or Brand?

Current Customers

• Increased trust in your brand.
• Quick resolutions to issues.
• Increased overall happiness in your service/product.
• More likely to use you again.
• More likely to refer their friends/family/social following.
• More likely to express their satisfaction on social media to others.
• Public exposure to good customer service for you.
• Transparent customer service experience.

Potential Customers

• Increased trust in your brand.
• More likely to want to do business with you.
• More likely to ask pre-sales questions.
• Drop in returns received by your business
• Drop in unhappy customers related to initial expectations.
• Public exposure to good customer service
• Transparent customer service experience.

What Do I Need To Do?

Simply put, you need to be available as much as possible.  Most companies should be aiming to respond within 8 hours if they are not strictly an online presence or service.  Customers do understand, for example, that a restaurant wont have someone on their twitter 24/7 but they would expect a pretty quick reply (4-8 hours) to any questions they have.  Even if your reply is as simple as ‘we’ll look into that for you now and reply shortly’ and then following up responding further later is acceptable but it is paramount there is someone there ready to reply as much as possible.

How important is it?

Response times could not be more important!  Whether you set your personal SLA response time to 12 hours, 8 hours, 4 hours or less it is important you stick to it and be consistent with your responses given.  Customers will expect nothing less and if you, like many others, cannot commit to that then it may be time to outsource the task.

Social Interactions

What is it?

‘Social interactions’ refers to any interaction that is not directly instigated by the customer and are instead proactively instigated by the business and/or brand.

How Will It Benefit Me/My Business Or Brand?

Current Customers

• Increased trust in your brand.
• Personal service.
• More likely to consider using you again.
• More likely to refer their friends/family/social following.
• Public exposure for you on social media

Potential Customers

• Increased trust in your brand.
• More likely to want do business with you.
• More likely to ask you pre-sales questions.
• Increase in brand awareness for you.
• Public exposure for you on social media.

What Do I Need To Do?

You will need to actively engage customers in relation to your location, demographic and niche.  A simple message to a past customer such as ‘How’s the [product_name] going for you?’ can see huge beneficial results in our experience.  Look for ways to actively engage people as much as possible without throwing a sales speech at them and we promise you will reap the rewards that come with having that personal human touch.

How important is it?

For many businesses we work with, very!  This avenue can be a great sales funnel for existing customers when reordering and it can also lead to many referrals from social media users who happen to stumble on to the conversation.

Active Engagements

What is it?

‘Active engagements’ refers to constant activity within a niche, group or collection of people.  Activily contributing and engaging within this area with customers (current & potential).

How Will It Benefit Me/My Business Or Brand?

Current Customers

• Increased trust in your brand.
• Personal service.
• More likely to consider using you again.
• More likely to refer their friends/family/social following.
• Public exposure for you on social media

Potential Customers

• Increased trust in your brand.
• More likely to want do business with you.
• More likely to ask you pre-sales questions.
• Increase in brand awareness or you.
• Public exposure for you on social media

What Do I Need To Do?

Active engagement is probably the most difficult and resource intensive of the 3 options here.  Unlike response times and social interactions, active engagements requires the business social media manger to be genuinely knowledgeable and interested in the many discussions underway regarding their products or services.  Whether its offering advice, reviewing products or chiming in on an online debate – active engagements whilst difficult will cement your brand or business as an industry expert with the customers that matter.

How important is it?

When done right it is invaluable and can become a game changer for many brands and businesses.  With that being said it is very difficult to implement without having dedicated staff specifically for this area.  This is not always an option for many businesses but you could outsource it (to us! wink wink).

Looking to outsource?

If you are looking for a social media management team with a wealth of high profile clients and experience to look after these tasks as well as much more then SocialWarehouse.co.uk is on hand.
Check out our Social Customer Service Packages as well as our Social Media Management Packages or contact an account manager today.