With the advancement in technology, social media has become a force to reckon with when it comes to brand awareness, brand imaging, engaging existing customers and Winning over new customers. So then, we ask ourselves, what role does it play in customer service? Many companies nowadays use Twitter and Facebook as a means of engaging clients. Other use it to highlight their effective and efficient customer service, whereas others have invested in social media for brand promotion and awareness. Here are some of the reasons why social media has become important in customer service; Connecting with people
As of today, Facebook alone has over two billion users. Instagram has over eight hundred million
while Twitter has close to four hundred million. These numbers really count. While not everyone
may be on social media, the numbers suggest that with more generations to come these numbers
will double or even triple. Can you imagine what these numbers will hold for customer service?
Although many companies already make use of social media platforms, some do not use it the right
way. You would find that some of the queries raised by customers stay for hours and days without
being responded to, some even end up being ignored totally. What happens next is customer
satisfaction rates begin to decline.
By using social media effectively, the company will be able to communicate with customers, letting
their voices heard. Once the customers’ feedback, complaints, praises and concerns are responded
to in a compassionate way, then customers get to appreciate the brand, generate positive
connections, thus retaining existing clients and winning over the new ones.
Winning ways
Customers love being appreciated, and when you listen to them, they feel that their satisfaction has
been prioritized. Once they feel part of the brand, then be assured of having vocal brand advocates
courtesy of their satisfaction levels.
Statistics show that seventy-five per cent of people is more likely to positive feedback about a
product or brand that connect with them sufficiently on social media, interestingly, seventy per cent
would be influenced by that and go ahead and make a purchase. Of those, seventy-one per cent
who get positive social media support go ahead and recommend the brand to other people.
Social media has really revolutionized modes of advertising. Initially, a single person would reach out
to one to five people, by word of mouth expressing their disappointment or satisfaction about a
product they used. Nowadays, with the use of social media, a single person can reach out to a
thousand others on the same. Thus, an effective social media strategy can as well work as a super
marketing strategy. In today’s world, customers do trust reviews and feedback from other customers
than they do with company advertisements.
Brands also win new customers from the kind of engagements they have. Some people will just visit
a social media page just to follow these kinds of responses, read through comments and in the
process someone might come across a product they are interested in and end up converting into
new customers.Have a look at these post by NIC and the response by KCB banks.
Increase Customer Loyalty
Every day on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or Google, we do press the like button to
express some feeling. Now imagine what that emoji does to the recipient? Of course, the feeling of
validation that comes with that leaves the person appreciated or loved, leaving them wanting more.
The feeling is absolutely the same for the recipient because they would want to reciprocate by liking
our posts, because as humans, we feel obliged to give back to people who have given to us, despite
how small the gesture is.
This relation is true for customer- company situations. If a customer contacts a certain company
through social media, and the company in return reaches out in a positive way, the customer
becomes closer to the company, thus creates loyalty. According to studies done, eighty-six per cent
of customers remain loyal to brands that they communicate positively with on social media. The
same study identified that forty-six per cent who received personalized responses strengthened their
loyalty. Thus, with social media, you can strengthen your relationship with the customers and keep
them coming back for more!
Attract Millennials
More of our population is composed of youth and millennials, who make up a big per cent of the
customers we serve. For companies, this is an opportunity to explore and grow. After all, ignoring
them would be quite a huge mistake.
Social media platforms have thus become a tool for companies to meet millennials and strengthen
the dominance of their products. Most of the timed, these millennials would post jokes or banter
regarding a particular product or service. Engaging them on their terms amazes them, eventually
turning them into long term buyers.
A company that has mastered this art is Safaricom, which has continued to exert its dominance in
the telecommunications industry in Kenya. Here’s a look at how they do it.
Customers Expect It Anyway
It is common sense that, whenever you raise a query about a particular product or service, you
would expect a reply. Studies show that, of these consumers that demand an answer, sixty-seven per
cent would want a reply within twenty-four hours, forty-two per cent within sixty minutes, and a
further thirty-two per cent within thirty minutes. This means that the longer the wait, the more
impatient and dissatisfied a customer becomes. Eventually, you are bound to lose that customer. The
expectations are even higher with millennials.
So, to ensure that customer expectations are completely met and to satisfaction, it is important for
companies to set up customer service, notably social media support who work 24/7. Besides
engaging them on Facebook and Twitter, it is also essential to research on which platforms the
customers are connecting with you from. Instagram and Snapchat have continually increased in
popularity, therefore, one can make use of them and tap a few.
Conclusion
It is not only important for companies to have social media support, but also necessary if they are to
create a winning brand and a loyal pool of customers.
