Before various social media networks played such an important part in our lives, customers who had complaints or compliments for a particular company had to write them a letter or make a phone call to the company in question. These days, all it takes for customers to pay a compliment or lodge a complaint, is internet access and a social media account, along with a few moments of their time to interact with the company online. Twitter has been a strong front runner for changing the customer service landscape and we think this is a trend that is not slowing down anytime soon.

No More Unnecessary Waiting

Gone are the days where customers had to make a call and be placed on hold, sometimes for hours on end, when all they wanted to do was make general inquiries or lodge complaints about poor service. Social media has enabled them to chat online in real time with company representatives instead of being placed on hold. By having a social media account, queries, compliments or complaints can be dealt with in real time instead of having customers wait days or even weeks for a response in some cases. This means that the customer now saves a lot of time because of the fact that it takes just a few minutes to type up their query on the company’s social media marketing pages.

Improved Levels of Customer Support

Because social media engagement is virtually an instant process, it means that customers usually receive responses to their queries online within minutes to perhaps an hour or two at most. This is because more and more companies are realizing just how competitive it is out there, so in order to keep growing their client base, they need to ensure that existing clients are kept happy while also using various forms of social media marketing to introduce new clients into their business network. These improved levels of customer service usually mean that existing clients will advertise on their behalf as well, which in turn will result in more business for them.

Keep a Professional Company Image

When it comes to social media engagement, it is very important for companies to realize that when customers interact on their social media pages, their responses, compliments or complaints are able to be viewed by everyone who frequents these pages. That is why these companies need to maintain a professional social media marketing image at all times and this means that no matter how small or insignificant a complaint may seem on the social media page, it is important for it to be dealt with as professionally as possible. Although social media is used by many businesses today, it should also not be the only way for clients to contact a company, as not everyone has access to these networks.

How are they doing it?

@comcastcares

 @microsofthelps

Many businesses today have realized that social media can be a powerful tool that has the ability to either build or break your company brand within a very short time. That is why it is important to ensure that it is utilized correctly by people who have extensive social media marketing experience.