These days, everything has gone ‘social’ and customer service is no exception. It’s easier than ever for customers to reach companies quickly…and publicly. When faced with an issue, many immediately turn to social media to get their issues resolved–myself included. Why do I do this? Well, I know that if I tweet an issue at a company, they will want to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to avoid any bad press. As someone who has been on both the customer and the business side of this at Magoosh, I have a pretty good grasp on what works and what doesn’t. So, what are some of the best practices you should follow when you are using social media to resolve customer support issues?
1. Act fast.
Of course, this is easier said than done, especially if a customer brings up an issue that can’t be fixed easily. However, you should always respond as soon as you can, even if you don’t have a solution. A quick, “So sorry about this! We’re working on resolving the issue and will keep you updated” is much, much better than no response at all. It’s crucial to keep customers in-the-loop as much as possible.
2. Be apologetic.
The saying “the customer is always right” is well-known for a reason. When responding to a customer online, it’s important to accept the blame for the issue and to be as friendly as possible. Of course, it’s important to do this offline as well, but in the world of social media, everything you say is public.
3. Be concise.
Social channels don’t lend themselves to lengthy explanations of problems (especially Twitter!). So, you should keep your responses short and to the point, ie, “The issue was _______; it’s now resolved! Thanks so much for your patience!” This will help you move quickly, while at the same time keeping the customer informed.
4. Move it to email.
Sometimes, an issue can’t be resolved publicly, and it’s necessary to take the conversation off of social networks. Not too long ago, I encountered an issue with a service I use and tweeted at the company, within a few minutes I received an email from a representative who helped me with the issue. I was impressed. This way, not only could we get more in-depth about the issue at hand, but this also eliminated the possibility of me becoming publicly frustrated.
Pro-Tip: even if you’re able to resolve the issue via Twitter, Facebook, etc, send a follow up email with more details about the issue and another apology. This will show you truly care about the customer’s problem.
5. Don’t just aim to please, aim to WOW.
Going above and beyond the call of duty goes a long way, and every service complaint is a great opportunity to turn something bad into something great. One way to ensure this happens is by offering a little something extra to the customer — whether that be a coupon code for their next purchase, a free extension of their service, or some branded swag. By doing so, you create the opportunity for good word of mouth because customers will be likely to tell their friends about the great customer service they received from your company.
Author Bio:
Rachel is the Community Manager at Magoosh, running its popular newsletters and social media accounts, and using her community-building skills to keep the Magoosh user base happy, healthy, and growing. In her time at Magoosh, she built the student community from practically non-existent to nearly 10,000 Facebook likes and 3500 Twitter followers. You can find her on Twitter here.
