“The Customer always comes first.”
If you’ve done any bit of work for a business in your lifetime, you’ve heard that phrase before. This concept is cornerstone to any good customer service plan. But how do we deliver this kind of customer service through social media? After all, with social media being one of the biggest trends in marketing currently there has to be some sort of agenda for customer service, right?
Fortunately if you read my previous blog on my retail experience vs experience in social media, you’ll notice that (thankfully) social media customer service is built upon the same stones as other types of customer service.
One of the best parts of social media customer service, but also one of its pitfalls, is the “immediate” factor. Social media allows you the ability to answer your customer complaints, praise or questions in a timely and efficient manner. The flip-side is that any customer complaint can be seen by virtually your entire audience- thus possibly scarring your business’ image. One specific instance that comes to mind is the social media uproar against a simple AOL complaint.
With more and more customers using multiple devices to access their social media, they have the potential to become more demanding. With this demand comes the want for immediacy. In reaction, companies need to revamp their current customer service policies in order to adapt to the atmosphere online. Normally that may mean setting up two different customer service programs (one for online and one for offline). Having a trained Community Manager in place to handle each and every customer service need is essential. After all, your customers are used to the “immediate” nature of social media- so don’t throw them for a loop by procrastinating on your response!
This is both an exciting and terrifying time for businesses who make their presence known on social media. The immediate nature that social media brings to customer service online means not only more obstacles, but also many more ways to better cultivate relationships with your customers.
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