Posted by Providing customer service on Social Media isn’t optional anymore.
Here’s why 👇
- Leading B2C companies are responding to about 60% of Tweets directed at their service accounts.
- 51% of Americans have reported switching service providers due to poor customer service.
- Tweets at leading B2C brands are growing by over 50% per year.
Source – Customer Service On Twitter Playbook
More and more customers are using Twitter to complain, compliment or ask questions to the brands. It’s time for brands to buckle up and be ready when their customers @ them!
Here are 12 tips to provide stellar Customer Service on Twitter
1. Personalize
The days of cookie-cutter replies are over. Dig in some Social data and personalize your replies accordingly. This would make your customers feel valued.
When you show interest in them, they feel like they’re a part of your tribe, that’s where the brand evangelism begins.
2. Don’t ignore the DMs
We get it, you don’t intend to ignore the DMs from your customers but it happens.
Usually, you miss the DMs because
- You don’t have a customer support tool set up for your Social Media.
- You don’t have a customer service strategy.
- DMs get lost if the volume is high.
Unanswered DMs can become screenshots and the screenshots can become public tweets. This is a recipe for disaster.
Saving your brand’s reputation can become difficult. Make replying to the Twitter DMs a part of your customer service strategy and maintain your reputation in the public eye.
3. Move it to the DM
Solving problems in 280 characters is difficult and asking users for the sensitive information is insensitive. To avoid this, one of the best practices is to ask them if they’d be up for a DM. Asking for the DM is better than asking them to email you, this way you’re not making them go on a different platform.
4. Be casual (and fun)
Research shows that people read emojis like expressions. Using the right emojis can not only brighten up your timeline but also your customer’s mood 😍
You can also add an appropriate GIF to make the conversation more memorable.
This helps in shaping your brand persona and making you a more approachable brand.
Bonus: Use of emojis and GIFs increases your overall Twitter engagement.
5. Monitor brand mentions
Look for the right keywords, some common misspellings and commonly autocorrected spellings to make sure you’re there for your customers even when they don’t @ you! This will show them that you truly care and are proactive. This will also provide you with an opportunity to engage with your customers and strengthen your bond with them.
Don’t just help your users, build a long-lasting relationship.
6. Strategise
Providing customer service on Twitter should not be a random activity but a planned one. Make it your priority, set up a tool, set up a team and a proper customer service strategy to make sure your brand is loved on Social Media.
7. Don’t use canned responses
Personalize! Every. Single. Time.
Your aim should be to delight your customer and canned responses do exactly the opposite.
In fact, you should use canned responses as a base to build up your reply to make sure you’re factually correct.
8. Be quick
People who complain on Twitter generally expect a response within an hour or less. If you’re not fast enough, you might get multiple mentions and if you’re really really late, this can also convert into a thread. This makes it really important for you to set-up a tool and a system to make sure you respond in a timely manner.
9. Stay positive
No brand is perfect and no matter how good you think you are, there still will be customers who’d be angry, annoyed, frustrated and they might say things that you won’t like. This can cause an imbalance in your energy. But make sure that you cut out the noise and focus on the real problem. Resolve the issue they’re facing and don’t take it personally. Good vibes only, folks, good vibes only!
10. Be patient
Similar to the above, you need to make sure your reactions are appropriate and you stay calm and helpful throughout the process.
This doesn’t mean that you should let customers use abusive language or say inappropriate things. If that happens, make sure you politely tell them to maintain a level of respect. But or otherwise, just focus on the problem they’re facing and help them resolve it as soon as possible.
11. Own it
There are going to be glitches, problems with the product, billing issues and what not. This is a part of the business that you can’t ignore. All these problems are more or less unavoidable and unexpected. This can leave a customer unhappy. When this happens, take complete responsibility. Explain to them what went wrong and share a solution or an ETA to make sure you close the loop. Customers love the brands who stay authentic and take full responsibility for their actions.
12. Make it memorable
End the conversation with a GIF, a video or with a personal message for your customer. This will make them feel special and they’ll love coming back to you. Repeat customers? Yes, please.
Closing thoughts
Great customer service is all about helping your customers in a smooth, timely and personalised fashion. Be the human who makes everyone’s day by being positive, fun, helpful and creative!
Got more tips or have a question? Share in the comment section, I’m all 👂
We also have some nifty tips to help you deal with all the negativity in customer service 🙌
With Crowdfire you can track your mentions, triage, assign, close and label the conversations. Try it out now.