Customer Service Through Social Media

Introduction

Most or all of us are very familiar with social media and use it on a daily basis. With the evolving technology, companies have created social media accounts as a way to bring in as well as provide service to customers. Having a steady and impactful social media presence can be what makes or breaks a brand. People have the ability to speak positively or negatively about a brand and gain attention from numerous people, this may encourage people to shop the brand or cause people to avoid it completely.

“You cannot buy engagement. You have to build engagement.”

-Tara-Nicholle Nelson

Good Social Media Customer Service

Providing good customer service can sometimes be as simple as having an easy checkout process for the customer. But, it can also become more complex such as fixing an issue and making things right when your company makes an error. In order to have happy customers, companies should be easy to reach and resolve problems in a timely manner. People should be able to talk with a real person about the issue or be able to create an online help ticket and be ensured they will receive a timely response. Customer service agents should be friendly, understanding, and knowledgeable when it comes to solving problems and creating a long-lasting relationship with customers.

Bad Social Media Customer Service

One of the worst things a company can do to customers with complaints is ignore them or sweep the issue under the rug. They are not only losing a customer but word of mouth can get around and cause more people to avoid the brand. If customers are ignored, the brand doesn’t even have a chance to rebuild a relationship with this customer. An upset costumer may take to other social media and rant about the brand and achieve greater reach and make even more people avoid the brand. Customers should also have a help line when an issue arises that should be easy to navigate and provide a quick response. Bad customer service is when it is difficult for a customer to get help or they are ignored entirely.

Opportunities for Growth

Even if a social media company is not in good standing with their customer service, they have the ability to make things right. Companies are able to try their hardest to respond to questions as well as make things right and solve issues that are brough up by customers. A large part of good social media customer service comes from word of mouth and what people are talking about and saying about a company. In a blog written by The Social Media Hat they state that 92 percent of people say that they trust recommendations from friends and family over traditional forms of advertisement. While this can be a positive thing for a company and promote growth, it can also have the opposite effect and cause loss of customers and business.

Examples

One example of poor social media customer service is White Fox Boutique. They were under fire and receiving numerous comments regarding order status and lost orders. they became a popular company during the holidays and many people were waiting on orders for gifts, that never came. In an article by Daily Mail UK they discuss how angry customers were over seeing new posts by White Fox, yet none of the comments about customers orders were being answered or acknowledged. People weren’t receiving any order updates, delay notifications or answers from the company. This is a prime example of poor customer service and resulted in the brand losing trust and credibility from customers.

An example of good customer service is Nike. In an article by Juphy, they discuss how Nike handles customer complaints and comments. Nike will often respond to customers by offering for them to DM the company or reach out to the service help line. The simple gesture of Nike acknowledging the customer and letting them know they care can make a huge difference to the customer and make them want to support the brand. They have been known to respond to customer service inquiries in a quick and efficient manner. They also provide a call line where you can talk to service agents to help solve the problem.

Conclusion

In conclusion, having a steady and consistent social media customer service presence can truly boost the thoughts and customers of your brand. If people receive good service from your brand they are more likely to recommend it to your brand and provide you with a bigger following and more loyal customers. Providing your customers with a guarantee of good service and quality makes a huge difference in impressions and loyalty to the brand.