Social Customer Care.
Taking care of your customers is key to the success of your business. Customer care before, during and after a purchase will ensure loyalty, repeat business and referrals.
In today’s digital world we have so many ways in which to interact with a business. In the past we may have been restricted to phone calls and physical interactions but now that is not the way customers want to interact.
Social Media
It is so much quicker and more convenient to send a tweet, message on Facebook or comment on Instagram. While this might seem like a challenge to a business, it should be viewed more as an opportunity to engage with the customer. It is time to embrace the opportunities that social media brings us.
Reactive or Proactive
Customer care exists, it is either good or bad and you have the power to decide. Instead of dreading that Facebook comment or that awkward remark on LinkedIn, think of the process as letting the world see how good your customer care really is.
It’s not always about being reactive either. Yes, you will reply to a question or comment but think of the opportunities you have to be proactive and engage with customers – and let the world see you do it.
The biggest concern with social customer care is the bad review or negative remark. That’s life and it will happen so it’s how you deal with it that matters. Firstly, acknowledge the comment and maybe you might even want to thank them for making it. The worst thing you can do is ignore it. The ideal situation is to then take the matter off line in the form of a phone call ideally so the matter can be discussed and resolved in private. Also remember to acknowledge the positive comments and reviews, a small thank you goes a long way to encouraging positive feeling.
Expectations
With social media there are high expectations when it comes to response times. Aim to be quick with your reply and don’t leave a customer waiting too long. Ensure you have all the relevant notifications switched on so you can reply promptly.
Here are just two simple ideas for you to help be more effective in your social customer care:
- YouTube – Use this fantastic resource to upload some ‘how-to’ videos that you can share with customers needing help. This may change a ‘this thing won’t work’ into a ‘So, that’s how you put it together, thanks’.
- Your Website – Include a frequently asked questions page, or even extend some topics to a full article on your website. Then when a query needs to be answered, a link can be sent easily.
We all know that it is more cost effective to keep an existing customer than find a new one. Make sure you can keep your customers happy and that your social customer care is working for you.
