Companies not taking advantage of social media for customer service

Many small business leaders are aware that to best reach the maximum number of consumers possible, they need to take a multi-pronged approach. Commercials, billboards and word of mouth marketing are all very important, but arguably the most lucrative method nowadays is via social media platforms.

Using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, among many others, is a good way to keep up with what interests customers, as well as keeping tabs on their reactions to the sorts of stories companies post. This can be a fast and easy way to see what products and strategies are working, and which should be revamped. However, other than just marketing, successful businesses are finding that social media sites also provide good gateways to aid with customer service.

However, not many small companies, even those who already have a profitable presence, are taking advantage of best practices that revolve around customer satisfaction. With a few simple steps, owners can implement strategies that allow advertisers to both market merchandise successfully and handle customer service inquiries over social networking websites, allowing businesses to give consumers the best experiences possible.

Few focus on customer service
According to the recent American Express Canada annual Global Customer Service Barometer, some customers prefer speaking with company representatives over other means. In the United States, 7 percent of all consumers would rather speak to employees via wall posts, tweets or a similar method. However, the most highly preferred method remains sending an inquiry on the company's website.

The problem is, only 17 percent of American businesses have optimized their platform presences to attempt to reach out to patrons to heighten customer service. This differs greatly from the 54 percent of companies that do so in India and the 45 percent that take this route in Mexico.

This oversight is generally bad, as many consumers take to social media to share their experiences. Nearly one quarter of American consumers have left a comment on a networking platform about the sort of service they received at businesses. Canadians follow closely behind with 20 percent. However, 29 percent of those in India claim the same.

Show your human side
When either marketing or attempting to tackle customer service needs, one of the most important things to remember is to act like a human being. Marketers tend to identify themselves on behalf of the company itself, so patrons have no idea who they're speaking with, or if they're just receiving an automated computer response.

"The easiest way to remedy the dismal feeling that consumers have when they believe they might be dealing with a computerized answering service is to simply sign their names," explained Erika Kerekes, senior product manager of social media solutions at DeluxeSocial. "Using the first person when responding to comments, relating a personal experience or just singing each post with your real name does wonders to comfort patrons and keep them coming back."

Answering posts from customers that have problems can also go a long way to showing other patrons that frequent a company's social media page that they truly care about their fans.

When to ignore
That said, not every post needs to be acknowledged. According to a Dell infographic, though nearly every single comment warrants a response, some unfavorable ones do not. The news provider said if the post is not positive, aggressive nor misguided and does not detail any unresolved issue, the message should simply be left alone. All others, positive or negative, however, should result in some sort of action on the part of the company, whether it is to try to attempt to help the individual, apologize or thank them.

Even if the wronged patron is aggressive, one of the most important things to remember is to stay positive at all times ? Dell explained beginning flame wars is very bad for the reputations of companies. This can irreparably harm their reputations, so monitoring only is a good idea in certain situations.

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Source: http://deluxesmallbizblog.com/social-media-marketing/companies-not-taking-advantage-of-social-media-for-customer-service/

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