Tips for Providing Distinctive Social Media Customer Service

Written by KOVA Corp

These days, it’s not enough to simply provide good customer service – you want to ensure that your contact center’s customer service is distinctive.

It’s one thing to build rapport with customers on the phone, where you are able to listen empathetically and speak reassuringly. When providing customer service via social media, however, the situation can be a bit more complicated.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of tips for providing outstanding customer service on social media, as well.

1. Don’t hesitate to mix phone and social media. Interactions taking place via social media don’t have to stay that way – if the situation warrants it, have agents ask for the customer’s phone number and give them a call. They’ll be flattered that they went to the extra trouble for them, and being able to speak rather than type may expedite the resolution of their issue.

2. Be clear about your social media operating hours. Some businesses may be able to keep their social media contact center open 24/7. But if yours has set hours, be sure to have your contact center workforce let your customers know what they are, clearly and repeatedly. That way, they won’t get frustrated waiting for someone to answer when nobody’s there.

3. Work closely with your company’s PR department. The voice and tone your company uses on social media should remain consistent, whether you’re announcing a new special or handling a customer service issue. Make sure that the customer service you provide “feels” like your brand to customers, and corresponds with your company’s image and values, as well.

4. Follow up on negative comments. It’s tempting to ignore or even delete these, but negative comments can actually be the starting point for a great relationship with a customer. Have agents respond publicly to the criticism, and do their best to make it right. You may just win that customer back, more loyal than ever.

5. Bond with your customer. It can be harder to convey feelings such as empathy via social media, so it’s important to go the extra mile when it comes to creating rapport with your customer. Ask your contact center workforce to inject some personality into their responses, and even humor, if that’s possible in the situation. They can also ask friendly questions other than those immediately related to the matter at hand, to begin forming a relationship with this customer. The more the customers feel they’re dealing with a friend, the better.

6. Log all interactions in a customer database. That way, each time the same customer contacts your center, anyone communicating with him will have access to his past interactions with the company, and be able to make him feel as if he has a personal relationship with them.  Customer loyalty increases when customers feel valued in this way.

By putting these six tips into practice, you’ll be on your way to providing amazing customer service via social media. And who wouldn’t want word to get out online that their contact center workforce provides not just good customer service, but distinctive, uniquely helpful, and incredibly friendly customer service?

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