While the majority of companies use social media for marketing and sales, it can be an even more effective tool for customer service. Today everything has gone ‘social’ and customer service is not an exception. It’s easier than ever for customers to reach companies quickly and solve their problems. Gone are the times when customer couldn't reach a company. Besides an email or a phone call, there are many social channels to connect with the company and solve the problem in no time. Many customers even prefer to contact brands using social media rather than the telephone. This means that companies need to make social customer support a priority.

For many companies social media is a growing marketing trend in addressing customer service. It’s a place where customers give feedback, ask for help and make complaints. And the lack of a good social customer service can negatively affect your business and vice versa, a great social customer service can benefit from it. Social media means that local problems can become global in minutes. 

The thing is that you should be in all the places where your customers are searching for information and help them find it, answer all their questions and do this as fast as possible. In social customer service we should prioritize response speed. Customers raise their issues through social media and they don’t like to wait. If you’re late, you lose your customer – that’s the reality. In social media two days are equal to two weeks.

Being on social platforms not only gives you direct access to your customers, but also gives your customers direct access to you. Online presence gives an opportunity to many companies to receive a report back from a satisfied customer, avoiding negative opinion from spreading all other the internet. That is why we should make it easy for your customers to connect quickly and receive a helpful response.  It’s all about customers’ delight as well as your company’s prosperity!

"Social care" became one of the most important concepts which provides multi-channel support. But not all social platforms can be used for customer service. It’s the audience that determines where you need to be present to get maximum from social media. So be where the majority of your audience is active as your customers will contact you via their own preferred channel, not yours.

Another important factor about customer service is transparency, which means that other potential customers get to see how well you handle the situation and act accordingly. If you answer a customer’s concerns quickly, politely, and effectively, you’ll make all your followers confident in your customer service. Your customers will mention your brand in their posts, making you visible to all their contacts. What else is needed for the company’s success?

The future of customer service is obvious – let’s recognize that social media has become the main customer service channel. 74% of today’s customers use at least three channels when interacting with a company for customer service. After all many companies are still using stand-alone, single channel experiences, what irritates many customers, they want to be heard instantly. So if you still stay out from social networks, it’s high time to show your presence – keeping your online reputation high! Always remember that good customer service is a two way street, so show up with a positive attitude!