Social media and customer service

By Sherif Attar

In a world of ever-changing ambiguity and uncertainty, executives have to face two challenges: excellent performance and people development. Where many managers think those endeavours are “competing”, this author believes they are “completing”. GET DOWN TO BUSINESS argues.

Today customers manage 85 per cent of their relationship with an organisation without interacting with a human. This is because social media has penetrated every aspect of life. There are more than 3 billion active social media users, with users in possession of an average of 6 social media accounts each. From Facebook to Twitter, Instagram to Periscope, social media platforms have an unparalleled ability to influence. Users are empowered to self-educate and research before making a final purchase decision, and expect an immediate response.

Social media has revolutionised consumers interaction. Direct, authentic interaction that can build brand loyalty only a tweet away. At the same time, the rise of social media has triggered a sharp shift in customer expectations, and if brands fall short, social channels are the mouthpiece through which they can very publicly voice their frustrations.

Social customer service isn’t a luxury. It’s an all-important necessity for brands that want to set themselves apart. 92 per cent of companies view customer experience as one of their top priorities. 60 per cent use social customer service as a competitive differentiator.

Choose your social channels carefully

With a superabundance of social media platforms, brands can often feel under pressure to establish a presence on as many as possible. However, maintaining even one social channel can often be an all-consuming occupation. Not only will this place an unfeasible level of expectation on the employees running social media accounts, but it is also a potentially brand-damaging approach. Online consumers anticipate that their queries will be addressed on social media promptly, with 42 per cent expecting a response within one hour. For businesses that don’t have a substantial social customer service team, the more social channels there are to manage, the less likely they’ll be able to respond to customer within this time.

95 per cent of dissatisfied customers publicize their negative experience

Successful social media management requires time, thought and effort. To preserve a high-quality online presence, when it comes to choosing your channels, less is more. If a social media platform doesn’t align with your overall goals, or if your customers aren’t using it, don’t consider it.

Criteria to make your selection:

Size

The larger and more popular a social network, the more likely there will be high levels of user engagement. For example, Facebook, the first platform to exceed one billion active users dominates the market, whereas Pinterest was the fastest independently launched site to reach 10 million unique monthly visitors. While there is value in setting yourself up on a social channel that has significant market share, size is not the sole factor to make your decision, particularly when you consider that more users will mean more competition for their attention from other brands. Take social network size into account in combination with additional factors.

Customer demographics

It’s likely that your brand has taken the time to create specific customer personas. These detailed profiles will assist you in choosing the most appropriate platforms – if demographics such as gender and household income can define the consumers you want to sell to. Be where your customers are. Make sure that your decision aligns with not only the customer personas your brand has created, but your overall goals as well, be they brand awareness, lead generation, customer retention or all of the above!

Adapted from research by Velsoft & Digital Marketing Institute

For questions or suggestions, please send your comments.

Sherif Attar, an independent management consultant/trainer and organisation development authority, delivers seminars in the US, Europe, Middle East and the Far East.

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