If you didn’t know it yet, the future of customer service is social. And it’s not just social media – the internet continues to open new avenues for highly interactive customer engagement which bring customers much closer to the brands they buy.
But with the immediacy of online interactions comes increased customer expectations for quick, hassle free solutions when problems arise. Unfortunately, these expectations increase the likelihood for mistakes to happen, and for awareness of those mistakes to spread much further than the intended audience.
With more small businesses engaging in the social sphere, customers are using these avenues in increasing numbers to give feedback on a product or service. And much to the dismay of those tasked with social media management, these interactions are not always complimentary. Luckily, there are a few tips small businesses can use to stay ahead of the game in online customer engagement.
Respond quickly
Customers who complain on social media expect an immediate response. The company’s social media pages should be constantly monitored to give real-time feedback to customer queries and complaints. If 24-hr monitoring is not possible, aim to respond within the first 24 hours. Try to personalize your response and stay away from standard scripts which give the feeling of talking to a machine.
Maintain contact
The social media manager may have to forward the complaint to another department to have it resolved. However, contact with the customer should not end there. Follow up with the department and check in with the customer to see if the issue was resolved satisfactorily.
Don’t get personal
It happens more often than it should. There is a lapse in judgment and social media responses take on the tone of someone’s personal account. It’s key to remember that a customer’s complaint is not an indictment on the company and not likely to be a personal attack on its representative. Always maintain a professional image and never get personal with your responses even if the customer does so. Always aim to respond to complaints with the same level of enthusiasm with which you respond to compliments.