Just a few years ago, social media seemed like no place for a brand. Facebook, Twitter and other networks emerged as a kind of sacred space for sharing (albeit relatively publicly) your personal opinions, stories and interests among a self-selected, connected world of friends, family and scattering of like-minded followers whom you invite into the conversation. It was almost seen as off-putting and likely unprofitable for a business to venture into that world.
In relatively short order, however, the behaviors of individuals and brands on social networks shifted. There is a newfound aura of accessibility, alignment and enticing value exchange on what is, unequivocally, a leveled playing field. Boundaries have broken, walls have come down and both parties’ inherent need for acknowledgement on the second screen is evident. In what other world can a one-to-one relationship fluidly exist between the biggest brand in the world and a random person sitting on his couch in California?
Social publishing, monitoring, and engagement have not only become components of the marketing mix, but part of a business’ necessary communication layer that extends well beyond one department. To that end, nowhere is this value exchange more increasingly evident than with customer service — the heir apparent to the throne of effective social business activities. People flock to companies’ social profiles to ask for help, announce buying decisions, register complaints, write reviews and have a dialogue with their favorite (or perhaps least favorite) brands.
Hateful hashtags about a flight cancellation, angry @mentions about a messed up takeout order — the list of service issues taken to social continues to grow. Answers are given, advice is offered, concessions are made and brands decide how to handle a singular or complementary set of issues; but the truth is many brands are stuck in a very reactive rut around social customer service. Yes, issue resolution, pointed inquiries and direct questions need to be addressed quickly and accurately, but a more holistic approach requires a shift from reactive customer service to proactive customer care.
Every social interaction is a chance to resolve an issue, delight a customer or create a brand advocate. Whether you are a social manager on the front lines or a head of marketing charged with revitalizing strategy, consider these elements to be more proactive:
● Staff for experience: Put your best customer-facing team members in key social positions. It’s a public and visible channel, so throwing interns into the thick of social is not an option. Social customer care teams don’t need to be large; they must be nimble and contain the skills, authority and autonomy to carry on conversations and provide relevant responses.
● Utilize analytics to identify common issues: Recurring themes and issues faced by many will bubble to the top, so rely on analytics and reporting to identify and address support issues before they become too big to overcome.
● Anticipate needs and highlight resources: Great customer service not only answers the first questions but anticipates and answers the second. Take the time to think through the user experience and provide helpful, easy-to-read resources that will ultimately improve an experience with your product or service.
● Pump up the personality: You don’t want to hang out with a wallflower at a party, why should social be any different? Showcase your brand’s personality and expertise with custom responses and interesting content that will actually add value to your customers’ lives.
● Facilitate conversations across audiences: Encourage input, insight and expertise not just from your brand, but also from your followers’ networks, brand enthusiasts and category experts to facilitate a well-informed dialogue.
Customer care starts way before a question is asked or a complaint is logged. It starts with providing relevant content, interjecting smartly into conversations, and engaging in authentic relationships with your customers.
Preemptive actions are a powerful way to not only assuage customer service issues when they arise but to prevent serious — and potentially very public — incidents from escalating into full blown crisis. For brands that want to create meaningful connections, social customer care requires a new kind of cross-functional teamwork, skilled communicators who have the appropriate answers, and a welcoming brand persona that signals social responsiveness, no matter the topic.