Role of Social Media in Customer Service

In today’s age, having a social media platform will influence a brand’s success and sales. A decade ago, social media platforms were merely used for personal use and personal connections. But no more, social media has become a very valuable tool for brands to reach out to communities.

For instance, if you are subscribed to any of the Xfinity services, which is one of the most widely used in the US, and you have a query about their products, you can reach out to any of Xfinity’s social media platforms. You can send a message, and within a few minutes, a rep from their 24/7 Xfinity customer service will answer. Social media platforms have closed the gap between customers and brands.

In this article, the importance of how social media can be used to drive the customer base and manage customer services will be discussed.

Social Media

Social Media platforms refer to the computer-based technology that allows for sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information with others who are connected to the same technology across a virtual network. Users deal with quick electronic content such as personal information, documents, videos, photos, audios, etc. Besides a virtual network, users need a computer, tablet, or any other smart devices to access social media platforms.

Users can access websites and applications on social media platforms that allow communication, interaction, content-sharing, collaboration, and whatnot. Apart from personal connections by users, social media platforms are also used by businesses to market and promote their products and services.

Social Media and Customer Service

For businesses, social media platform is a very effective marketing tool, since one aspect of it is that they can help elevate the company’s customer service, which is the main subject of this article. If you want to benefit from this strategy, you will need to manage your social media presence otherwise it can harm your brand’s reputation and drive potential customers away.

Since so many existing and potential customers are using social media platforms, your business needs to be investing in customer service. Examples include training customer service reps about brand representation, their products and services, and implementing improvement in their services wherever needed.

Whatever kind of situation arises through your social media platform; your business must have a strategic plan aside for handling customer service issues. If it goes successful, it can increase your business’s chance to go viral and your business will also gain loyal customers.

Social Media for Customer Service

• Authentic Customer Relations: Many businesses make the mistake of using social media platforms as just another channel for their self-promotion and do not always respond when customers reach out to them by commenting or tweeting at them. This can make them feel discouraged about your brand and go on a hunt for other brands with similar services or products that might as well be your competitor. Even if your brand does respond to their queries, it is important to make sure that you reply within a reasonable period of time. Take too long to send a reply back, and they might not be interested anymore. Use your social media platforms to build relationships with your customers in a timely manner so they can stay loyal to your brand.
• Hashtags: Refer to the terms or labels on social media platforms that are highlighted and make it easier for you to find specific content. Brands should use hashtags to stay in the loop and keep up with the trends. It is easier to navigate through social media platforms using hashtags. If a customer tags your brand, you can get an insight into how he feels about your products or services. Or you can even tweet at him on your Twitter to respond to his query in a professional manner. Moreover, you can also use hashtags to learn about your competitors.
• Timely Response: A lack of attentiveness towards your customers contributes to poor customer service from your end, and that, as a result, can negatively impact your brand’s reputation. After all, it’s not just the one customer that can see your response, it’s the millions of social media users all around the world. Also if you do not respond to your customer’s queries, that is considered a poor response as well. One like from your end or a response of thank you can have a huge impact on your brand’s reputation on social media platforms.
• Availability:  Some businesses have limited social media platforms and customers cannot reach out to them on their preferred platforms. For instance, if you do not have a Twitter account and your customer wants to reach out to you on their Twitter account, your unavailability will result in losing points for your brand. If you, as a brand, do not want to miss out on your customer’s queries on social media platforms, you should have a social media application to flag all the messages that are related to your company or products or services posted by customers.

The whole purpose of having a social media platform is to maintain your brand’s activity and progress, and reach out to your customers and followers since this can result in long-term success and progress for your company.