The foundation of great customer service is built on meeting consumers where they want to be met. And today, that is on social media.

Gone are the days of brand interaction happening via phone calls or even emails. Consumers have gotten used to the ease of social media communication and they expect your brand to keep up.

Because today’s consumers are so used to instantaneous communication, it’s no surprise that customer service has shifted to social media.

In order to delight your consumers past your awesome products or services, it’s time to power your social media customer service strategy. Don’t know where to begin? We have created this post to help the amazing brands we work with when it comes to customer service on social media.

Consumer Expectations and Social Behavior

We can tell you how crucial it is that you offer excellent customer service via your social channels until we are blue in the face. But the most successful marketers develop strategies based on data so let’s look at the statistics pertaining to social media customer service.

• 47% of consumers have a more favorable impression of brands who respond to them on social 
• 90% of consumers say they’ve used social media to reach out to brands about support issues
• 40% of customers who complain via social media expect a response within one hour
• 75% of social media users say they will post a positive mention of a brand if they’ve made meaningful social connections
• 67% of consumers will look for resolutions via a brand’s social media channels
• 30% of consumers will purchase from a competitor if a brand doesn’t respond to their social messages

The Value of Social Customer Service

A customer’s experience with your brand translates into your brand success. Don’t you want it to be a positive experience?

Sure, social media customer service can be a little intimidating. With everything being so public, brands often worry about the negativity that will occur online. However, consumers value communication so it’s key to focus on the positives. Afterall, consumers are going to talk about your brand on social whether you like it or not.

Positive outcomes of implementing a social customer service strategy include brand loyalty, exposure to new consumers, increase in sales and customer retention. Just to name a few.

Customers often reach out to brands when making a purchase decision. So not only does a social customer service strategy support your current consumers, it also can land new consumers if you delight them through your social engagement.

Top Reasons Why Consumers Reach Out to Brands on Social

We love SproutSocial and they released a study on why customers reach out to brands on social media. Those reasons are:

• Had a good experience (59%)
• Have a question about products or services (47%)
• Had a bad experience (40%)

It should ease your mind that your customers tend to engage your brand more about a positive experience than a negative. And at any rate, knowing why consumers would reach out to your brand will help you shape your strategy.

Social Customer Service Best Practices

When it comes to social media customer service, the most important thing is being available to your current and target consumers. If you adhere to the following best practices, you’ll be ahead of the game.

• Create handles dedicated to customer support
• Run an audit to determine which channels your audience is active on
• Build out customer support guidelines for your brand
• Dedicate the resources to respond to questions and concerns within 1 hour during business hours
• Be empathetic and apologetic when a customer has a concern
• Reply to ALL comments on social about your brand whether they’re positive or negative
• Be positive and transparent in your interactions

Monitoring Your Audience 

Consumers expect your brand to reply to their questions very quickly, that’s a given. They also expect you to engage with them when they post their experience with your brand and that’s where monitoring comes in.

Many social media users will talk about a brand without actually tagging them. Solid keyword monitors will help you keep a pulse about the conversations happening about your brand.

Where Chatbots Come In

If you’re getting a high volume of customer support requests, chatbots are helpful.

Chatbots are great for frequently asked questions but they don’t replace the value of an actual human. So know when to use chatbots and when to treat serious concerns on a personalized level. 

Knowing When to Take the Conversation Offline

Sometimes a customer support request requires lengthy explanations and if this is the case, it’s fine to take the conversation offline. Keep in mind, a support request on social media is public, so respond publicly before moving the conversation.

If there is sensitive information required for you to help your consumers, definitely move the conversation. Things like address or order number should never be public.

Is Your Brand Dropping the Ball on Social Customer Service?

Only 32% of consumers are happy with the response times they get from brands when they reach out on social. That number is low but after reading this post, you should be ready to delight your audience in a timely manner.

Do you have consumers reaching out to you for customer service on your brand’s social media channels? We’d love to hear all about your process for fielding support requests in the comments below!