Using Social Media For Customer Service
Updated: Mar 13
A recent survey found that 68% of consumers would react by telling family and friends about a bad experience by posting it on a social network. And as each Facebook profile has an average of 155 friends, one negative experience can quickly reach thousands!
Let us look at some stats according to a report on social media usage released by Statista:
In 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide(a global rate of 49 percent.), and this is projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025.
On average, internet users spend 144 minutes per day on social media.
Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately 2.5 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide.
In June 2020, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and the ever-popular app version of Facebook.
In 2021, Social networking sites were estimated to reach 3.78 billion users. These figures are still expected to grow as mobile device usage and social networks increasingly gain traction in previously underserved markets.
It is in the name "social media." There is supposed to be some conversation that is expected to happen. Customer service is the direct one-on-one interaction between a consumer and a representative making a sale. Customer Service departments might not have anticipated the channels used, but these social media networks have come in handy. Taking care of customers' needs on social media is a great way to show your company cares about its customers. customers
In fact, 67% of consumers have engaged a brand’s social media for customer service needs.
Social media marketing involves posting relevant content like live videos, texts, prerecorded videos, images, GIFs, and animations on all your social media engagement platforms, talking to your audience, listening to their complaints, and addressing their concerns.
The social media platforms used are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Youtube, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. Different business brands use social media for various purposes, i.e., to get traffic to their websites, to generate sales, to get people’s views about a product and its performance, to get to a target audience and engage with them, and also to engage with potential consumers of the product or service.
Just as social media is an excellent strategy for marketing, it is terrific for customer service if done right. The benefits cut across marketing and customer service, i.e., brand visibility, awareness, and growth.
Relevant Social media customer service stats
Patrick Cuttica, director of product marketing at social media management company Sprout Social, said that when customers come to you, you must prove you can be a helpful resource. So please don't ignore them or leave their questions unanswered; your response (or lack of one) often determines whether the customer will return to your brand.
Facebook Messenger exchanges one billion messages between people and businesses every month.
70% of people expect to message businesses more in the future for customer service questions.
Banks that rank highly for social media respond to customer service replies within an hour.
59% of brand replies to user Tweets occur within 15 minutes.
40% of holiday shoppers say they are more likely to consider buying from a brand they can message.
60% of Internet users say lousy customer service is a concern when purchasing online.
The Best Social Media Customer Service Practices
1. Reply as quickly as possible
Most businesses have working hours. But, with the inclusion of social media, the expectation is that the responses to feedback will be coming in around the clock.
Here is a fact - 42% of consumers expect a response on social media within 60 minutes.
2. Social listening is highly recommended
Social media users usually want to mask their grievances and avoid directly tagging the company they complain about. Instead, you should stay on the lookout for mentions and issues in your field and respond accordingly. This practice assures your clients that you are willing to go out of your way to ensure they are satisfied with the service.
3. Sieve private and public matters
As a customer service personnel, you should know which issues can be resolved publicly and which can be remedied privately. For example, queries involving private data and information sharing should be dealt with in public. At the same time, those responses that might be helping many of your customers can be addressed in public for the benefit of everyone.
More: Tips On Providing Excellent Customer Service
4. Reply to all queries
Depending on your social media channels, you should be able to respond to all. More often than not, some responses are similar. Here, you can create a stream of replies to handle such cases. Nonetheless, respond to each query. Every customer wants to be treated with respect.
5. Make use of greetings and personalization
It's the small things that matter. Something as simple as "Hello John..." before responding to John's query could be why John is not taking to social media and angrily attacking your company. It also shows you are intent on conversing with John on that particular topic.
6. Avoid fighting on social media
Not all comments and responses are going to be good. That is the paradox of doing business. You ought to be gentle enough to respond to all queries with positivity. Then, you can help your clients rectify any issues they may have to have a better user experience.
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