Resolving Issues for your Customers

Social Media is an integral part of marketing – if you do it right. you’ll not only see your business profile raised but you’ll also see it translate to your bottom line.  Social Media well executed also has a part to play in other departments within your company, especially customer service.
How do you use Social Media for Customer Service?

Answer Customer Questions on Twitter

Don’t just wait to be @ mentioned in a tweet (and if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, take a step back and read some of our blogs on using Twitter and why it will work for your business). Set up searches on twitter, on Google news and blog alerts and keep an eye on your Facebook interactions. Answer all customer questions promptly – even if it is just with a “we are looking into this and will get back to you” reply. It lets the commenter know that you have seen the query or request and are dealing with it. This is a big point – don’t embark on Twitter with all guns blazing for a week only to disappear off the face of the Earth the following week! It doesn’t leave a good impression Make sure you have a strategy so that you don’t waste time – and make sure you have someone to manage your social media activity all day every day.

Answer Customer Complaints

No matter how tempting it is to ignore them, make sure that all complaints are actioned.
Take a look at how other companies deal with complaints and comments if you are unsure of how to go about this. Bodyform responded to a tongue-in-cheek rant with a video of its own which has gone viral. 02’s social media strategy for complaints via Twitter is a great model. They trust the staff tweeting on their behalf to gauge the tone and mood and react accordingly. This ranges from simple apologies, to jokes, to meme pictures to answering in Jamaican slang. Customers really feel engaged and part of the brand – that can only be good for business.

Share Customer Compliments

Talking Twitter, we’re not saying RT or reblog every nice thing that someone says about you or your company – if you do, you may be in danger of coming over a bit, “I love me who do you love” on your Social Media streams!  However, it’s important to amplify great referrals and testimonials – brilliant for your reputation. There is no harm in blogging about testimonials, or thanking people for their nice comments in a retweet. You’ll know how much to share the love!

Announce Issues Affecting Customers

If you have a customer issue – a recall, a problem with service, a delay in despatch – announcing it on Social Media can get the message out. You can also respond directly to your customers’ queries about the issue.

Social Media Strategy

Have you used Social Media to help you with your Customer Service Strategy? Do you need help with creating a meaningful social media strategy?