Some of your customers could be waiting more than others — and that likely hurts loyalty. Here’s where the problem lies — and how to fix it.
Customer service pros answer questions in social media about future purchases faster than they get to inquiries about past purchases.
So potential customers get better service than existing customers.
Considering your existing customers will likely spend more and spread a positive word about their experience, it makes sense to give them equal or higher priority.
But it’s not happening. Almost 40% of questions about future purchases asked in social media are answered in less than 10 minutes. Only about 15% of questions about past purchases — for instance, how to use a product, get help, schedule maintenance or make a return — are answered in 10 minutes, according to recent research from Software Advice, a software analysis and review firm.
Existing customers work harder
What’s more, almost 30% of existing customers with questions about past purchases are asked to call or email after they’ve made a social media post. Just about 15% of new customers are asked to do that.
So existing customers have to work harder to get what they want, the poll found.
“For social customer service to work … the company needs to establish clear guidelines about which department responds to which posts and how to handle posts where the customer’s request is unclear or complex,” says Craig Borowski, customer service researcher at Software Advice.
Companies want to level the playing field for customers. Outside of emergencies — such as utility outages in specific areas — the people on the front line interacting with customers via social media need to give equal attention to new and existing customers.
Here are five ways to make the social experience better for all customers:
1. Be where customers are
Social media customer service can only be effective if it’s used. The social media platform that’s right for you is the one that works best for customers.
That’s where you want to put your resources. Do one (or two) really well — and don’t offer other platforms where customers might wait more than a half-hour for a response.
If you don’t know where your customers are most, send a simple one-question survey via email: “What social media platforms do you use most?”
Ask them to check boxes — Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ – and results will show you where you need to be most.
2. Monitor
You don’t have to stare at feeds all day to make sure you never miss a tweet, like or post (unless your customer base is large and active) and know when they need help. You can use free tools, such as SocialMention, to search social media for mentions of your company.
Paid-for tools, such as Mention, allow you to set up alerts and provide reports on social media activity. Other tools, such as Groove, allow you to integrate social media requests into your other customer service channels and create tickets with each request for help.
3. Cast a wider net
Once you start monitoring, look for mentions beyond the obvious. Some customers will spell your company name and flagship products wrong.
Search your company name and flagship or current hot products with misspelled variations regularly. Add those misspellings to your monitoring tools so you don’t miss an opportunity to help a potential or existing customer.
4. Use the right tone
Sure, customers can’t hear your actual tone of voice in social media. But they can sense the attitude you bring to the conversation by the words and phrases you use.
Maintain the right tone in a social interaction by taking a cue from customers. Helpful cues include the use of:
- Slang and emoticons. The conversation can take a laid-back (yet professional) tone.
- Proper English. You want to avoid slang and nuances.
- Emotional words. Show more empathy and understanding. Consider taking it offline and to email to sort through a complex or emotional situation.
5. Be ready behind the scenes
A clear, up-to-date database of your most common issues and questions — and the answers/solutions to them — is the key to providing quick, reliable responses to all customers. It takes more much behind-the-scenes work than it does real-time, social media work.
Also, update and finesse step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow guides weekly.
