Social Media Customer Service in 2020: Perks, Benefits and More

Social media customer service has quickly become the best option for modern consumers. Waiting to talk to a customer service representative over the phone usually takes a long time, and going to the company’s office takes so much time and too much of a hassle. Since social media provides immediate attention and response, it’s the fastest and most effective way to cater to customers, especially in the digital age. 

The importance of social media customer service has grown more amplified in 2020. Quarantine protocols worldwide have limited physical and social interactions, further encouraging online businesses and transactions. Now, more customers have become reliant on your social media presence as a customer service channel.

What is social media customer service?

Social media customer service is precisely what the name suggests – customer service issues are processed through social media channels such as mobile apps, live chats, etc. In this type of customer service, concerns are raised and dealt with through engaging and communicating through social media. Here, customers or potential customers bring up their questions or issues by contacting the social media accounts of your business. Interactions happen in social media posts, customer comments and tagging (or in the case of Twitter, mentions, threads, and replies) and private messages (i.e., Facebook Messenger, Instagram direct message, etc.), or depending on the communication features of the said social media site or app. 

How does social media customer service help your business?

Social media customer service is not just an ongoing fad – it’s opened up many possibilities in communication, especially regarding urgent matters that couldn’t wait for successive phone calls or emails. Not only does it give your brand a new platform, but it is also an opportunity to gain an edge over competitors.

Aside from bringing customer service closer to your customers and leads, social media can take your business to different heights by providing accessibility and a wider reach. Here are only some of the benefits of social media customer service:

Instant service

In the early days of the internet, email made written correspondence much quicker. Now that instant messaging through social media has escalated messaging even more, social media customer service provides not just accessibility but the ability to handle urgency. A customer might reach out to your email address, but as more customer concerns and inquiries flood your email inbox, many problems can be lost, making you unable to cater to all of them. With social media, your response time will be shorter, hiking up your customer satisfaction by letting your customer know that you’re reachable anytime they need you.

Promote your customer service quality.

With this channel, you will be able to help out your customers and create a good impression with old and new customers. Making an effort to be as reachable as possible gives customers an image that you care deeply for them. When you promptly resolve inquiries and complaints, you are advertising your brand and letting everyone know that quality service is part of the package, even long after the purchase. 

Handle your brand reputation.

While accessibility is the primary goal, social media customer service helps improve and uphold your brand reputation. Your brand’s online presence helps garner interest from possible leads, as many customers do their due diligence by looking through your brand’s online activity and reputation. Customers (and potential leads) follow you on social media to learn more about your brand and your services and monitor your brand’s performance.

This is mutually beneficial for you as well, as a solid online presence helps you get to know your market and reach, helping you monitor how they see your brand. This allows you to shape your brand and marketing based on how customers see you through each post you create, updates your publish, and untoward comments about you and your services.

Enhance customer experience

Social media is an excellent platform to give a highly personalized customer experience. Connecting with them lets your customers quickly form a strong bond with you and your brand. Keep in mind that while your product or service may be excellent, if customers have a terrible experience with customer service, they are most likely to shift to your competitors.

Become an authority in the industry.

Industry-specific communities also exist on social media. An active and up-to-date online presence can make all the difference. Joining and actively participating in these communities can build your brand and eventually make you an authority in your industry. You will also be able to connect with experts and professionals in your field who can give credence to your brand. LinkedIn, a social media site for business networking and recruitment, is a marketplace on its own and is one of the best social media platforms for this purpose.

Track and collect valuable data

Social media customer support platforms offer relevant insight into your brand and customers. There are many ways to track how your company’s social media sites engage with customers. Analyzing patterns from your collected data can significantly help with marketing, sales, customer acquisition, and customer retention strategies and decisions.

How can you improve your customer service on social media?

Now that we’ve made a point about the importance of social media to your brand, you have decided to bolster your online presence for better branding and revenue. Now what?

A solid social media presence does not end with simply creating a social media account. Building an excellent social media presence takes time and effort. You can maximize your social media customer service by doing the following:

Optimize your profile. 

Include complete but concise information about your business. Use high-quality images, relevant tags, and industry-related keywords to make your brand easier to find. You can customize your public profile’s URL to distinguish yourself from other users.

Share relevant content and update regularly.

Keeping up with the times can quickly change the tides for your brand. Using relevant content allows you to demonstrate your expertise and offer industry insight to your audience. Take this as a chance to provide social customer care through your profile if anyone inquires or concerns your brand.

Avoid hard-selling or spamming. 

Spamming your page with product promotions and hard-selling your brand can turn off your followers and discourage them from engaging with you. Keep posts and conversations on relevant topics. Likewise, avoid flooding other users’ groups and profiles with posts about your goods and services. Remember that being persistent comes in many forms, and the last thing you want is to scare customers away by being too imposing. 

Join active communities.

The internet is a hub for many topics that often converge and create networks. Many groups or communities about your industry are active online, and many customers use these threads to get information and updates about your service or industry. Create a dynamic online presence by joining functional groups and networks to ensure that your posts are exposed to the right audience to provide a high level of engagement. These groups can also introduce you to valuable connections and help expand your network. Be just as active and participate in group conversations, as well.

Monitor and examine analytics. 

Tracking the analytics of your strategies on social media is the only way to know if your tactics are working. It helps determine which methods are working or not, so you can change course if necessary.

Try outsourcing.

Outsourcing your social media needs is always a reliable and cost-effective solution. Lessen your staff workload while saving time and money while enjoying expert service. Expand your workforce to experts and professionals without spending much on onboarding, employee premiums, new equipment, and additional workspace.

What are the social media services that you can outsource?

There are multiple social media services that you can outsource to a third-party service provider. Each service has benefits, especially if you are exploring an omnichannel business approach. Some social media outsourcing services include:

• B2B lead generation services
• B2C lead generation services
• Social Media Management
• Moderation in Social Media
• Social media marketing

How much does it cost to outsource social media services?

There are no fixed industry standards for the rates of social media outsourcing services. Most of the time, service providers calculate the cost according to the needs and preferences of your business. Several factors can affect the pricing, such as:

• Types of service(s)
• Number of personnel
• Staff expertise level
• Length of contract

Offshore outsourcing is always an ideal option for small and medium businesses (SMBs), where time and funds are always of the essence. Countries with bustling BPO industries, like China, India, and the Philippines, are the go-to areas for cost-effective deals that don’t scrimp on quality.

Magellan Solutions is a BPO company that offers social media call center services to businesses worldwide. We have been in the call center industry for over 15 years, with hundreds of satisfied clients. Our company is ISO and HIPAA certified, so we can guarantee that your data is safe in our hands.