Company Twitter and Facebook accounts are for more than
spreading the word about a sale or special offer. A business can use this and
other social media to enhance its customer service efforts. Even a negative comment
or review from a customer is an opportunity to provide amazing customer service
and possibly gain new customers. It is not difficult or time-consuming to
convert social media into a customer service tool.
A separate corporate Twitter and Facebook account dedicated
to customer service is the first step. When a customer tweets or comments to
the main corporate account, reply and indicate that the customer service
account will be contacting them. The issue can then be resolved through the
customer service account via direct messaging, for privacy purposes. The
complaining customer will be happy to have the issue resolved and prospective
customers will see that your company takes customer service seriously.
Quick response to social media complaints from customers is
imperative because it shows a commitment to timely customer service. Respond
within five minutes and follow up after researching the issue and developing a
potential solution. Provide your name in the response if it is coming from a
corporate social media account. Customers like to know that they are dealing
with a real person rather than an automated response system. Developing a
personal relationship helps to establish trust, which can turn an initially
rocky situation into a positive one.
Replies should always be friendly and reveal a desire to
provide as much assistance as possible. Showing concern that the customer had a
bad experience illustrates that you take the issue seriously. Though this
approach is recommended regardless of the type or size of the business, it is
even more important if you have a small work at home business because your customers literally put food on your table.
Never dismiss a customer issue or handle customers in an
aggressive way. This will turn them off from the start and prevent an ongoing
relationship from developing. Do not manipulate customer complaints to make
them go away and never attempt to hide them. The social media world is a public
one so every posting can potentially be seen by a global audience filled with
prospective customers. These folks will be just as unimpressed by such handling
of issues as the complaining customer is.
Every customer service issue should be tracked until
resolution. Evaluating the response and solution provides insight into how
successful the company was in its efforts. Be sure that staff did whatever they
could to satisfy the customer and ensure that the professional relationship
will continue. Learn from mistakes so they will not be made again.
Social media is a powerful tool that more companies are
using every day. Harnessing it for customer service is free and can provide
long-term financial benefits. Future sales that could have been lost due to
dissatisfied customers will be saved and prospects will be converted to new customers.
Taking customer service digital is just one way that savvy business owners are
competing in this new world.
No comments:
Post a Comment