Social Media and Customer Service

When you think of Customer Service, how would you describe it?

It is interesting to note that as a consumer you may have a different answer than a company. Many times companies look at customer service from either the sales side or the complaint side. Those are make or break times in business, you need to make the sale and keep the customer.

What if I told you that there is another way to look at customer service? Take a look at your product or service, and you will realize that your customer is purchasing from you because they believe they need or want what you provide.  This next statement shouldn’t come as a shock to you, you are not the only place where they can acquire whatever it is that you are selling.

Regardless of how great your product or service is, without customer service you will not keep your customers happy and they may go elsewhere.

Now that I have completely burst your bubble, I will explain why. Considering what I talked about above, most companies are focused on the sale and fixing the problems after the sale, the piece that can set you apart from everyone else is your ability to deliver a better customer service model.

This leads me into how you can use social media as a better customer service tool. Connecting with customers and potential customers on a regular basis allows for you to build a relationship with your customers.  By providing them content that they are asking to see, you forge a relationship where they begin to get to know you and your brand. They like what you have to say because they have chosen to continue to follow you and when you give them the content that they are asking for you gain their trust.

I know it sounds like a broken record, but people do business with people they know like and trust.

Now here is the next part of the equation, delivering information to your followers that they are asking for.  The first and most important thing you need to do is listen to what they are saying. This means that you need to follow them, and read what they write, check to see who else they are following, and what interests them enough to like, or re-tweet what you or someone else has created.

When you deliver content that your followers find interesting, or that they find informative enough to share with their followers, that is called engaging. When you engage your followers they share your content with their followers who in turn may also share your content with their followers, etc.  This is how things become viral.

The more engaging your content is the more followers you have, and then you have the ability to influence more people. When you do it consistently your followers become customers who become loyal to you and your brand.

Many times I hear companies say that they don’t want to get involved with social media because they are afraid that someone will say something bad about their product or service.  First things first, if that is your opinion I have some news for you. If people have something bad to say about your company, product, or service they are going to say it regardless if you are on the internet or not. The difference is that when you are involved with social media, and a customer has something negative to say you are aware of it, then you can take the opportunity to make it right.

Let me give you a quick run down on how to handle a situation where a follower has something negative to say about your company, product, or serivce:

1. Acknowledge the customer and the problem they are having publicly
2. Take the conversation privately (either via email, phone call, or Direct Message) 

1. Delete the comment from your public wall
2. Ignore the customer hoping they will go away.

When you follow these simple rules you will gain trust with all of your followers, not just the one that is upset with you.  I have witnessed both of the situations I mention above.  Time and time again I hear stories from people about how they tried to address their issue with a company or a brand and their comment was deleted, and when they attempted to re-post the comment, they were quickly blocked from posting anything else.  Here is what happens next:

1. The customer is becomes infuriated.
2. That customer tells everyone they they know how badly they were treated.
3. Your company is now out of the loop and your reputation is being spoiled.

On the other hand if you decide to take the other approach:

1. The customer feels heard
2. All of your followers see that you take their needs seriously
3. Once the situation is resolved privately your customer tells all of their followers how wonderful you are.

I for one would rather have the situation resolved in a manner that is good for both the company and the customer.  You and I both know that there are some customers that will never be satisfied, however your followers will see that you attempted to fix their issue and you will be rewarded by building creditability with them.

Another thing to remember is that not everyone is your customer – this too I know is a shock

Focus on your target market, and if you haven’t taken the time to decide who your target market is, I suggest you do that now! Those are the people who you are looking to deliver content to. They will be the ones that connect with the message that you are sending to them everyday.