How Social Media is Changing Customer Service [Infographic]

Social media has significantly changed how customer service operates in recent years.

The old methods like phone calls, faxes, letters, and emails are fading away, as social media takes a more central role in providing customer support and services. According to Invespcro, over 80% of customers use social media to connect with brands.

This is a big deal!

In other words, you would be missing out if you don’t invest in social media customer support. If you don’t keep an eye on the market, stay updated on trends, and plan ahead, you risk falling behind in a fast-paced world.

So What Do You Have to Do to Maintain Superior Customer Support Services?

According to Future Customer, today’s consumers have higher expectations for the quality of products and services and are active on social media.

As a result, they want brands to provide customer support through these platforms. Businesses need to create more effective social media content, services, and support. To enhance social media interactions, companies should be more thoughtful in their approach to customers online.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking to improve your social media support:

1. Make Use of Technology

Many companies are investing heavily in social customer support through the use of technology and there is no reason you should be left behind. Investing and innovating around social media customer experience has become as important as the product itself.

As a business owner, you cannot possibly be successful without being technologically compliant especially when it comes to utilizing social media and being on the loop in the emerging trends in customer service. Things like data analytics, augmented reality, cybersecurity, omnichannel support and live chat are some of the things that you need to invest in.

By the way, did you know that answering a social media complaint can greatly improve your brand advocacy by 25%?

2. Create Trust

Offering social media customer support could be an indicator of trust.

33% of customers would rather contact a brand via social media than via a phone simply because of convenience and trust. So this offers a great opportunity for companies to provide their customers with trustworthy information. You can use your social media to build relationships and offer insights into your products and services.

3. Respond to Issues Quickly

Research shows that 68% of customers expect their issues to be resolved within 2 hours.

37% of users expect a response within 30 minutes. Users want to be able to have their issues resolved through a chat much the same way they would talk to a friend. They don’t expect protocols and long waiting times. Therefore a conversational approach is critical.

Best Practices for Social Media Customer Support

1. Be Proactive: Don’t wait for customers to reach out with complaints. Monitor social media mentions and proactively address potential issues or concerns. Acknowledge positive feedback and respond to customer queries promptly to show you value their input.
2. Respond Quickly: Speed is critical. Customers expect responses within minutes, not hours. Implement a system to monitor social media channels 24/7 to ensure issues are addressed as quickly as possible.
3. Maintain a Consistent Brand Voice: Whether responding to compliments or complaints, consistency in tone and style helps reinforce your brand identity. Adjust your tone to match the nature of the conversation, being professional yet approachable.
4. Use Personalization: Avoid generic responses. Address customers by their name and reference specific details of their inquiry to make them feel valued and heard.
5. Use Automation and AI: Use chatbots for simple, repetitive queries while ensuring that more complex issues are routed to human representatives. Automation saves time and allows staff to focus on higher-priority tasks.
6. Have Clear Escalation Procedures: Not all issues can be resolved directly on social media. Establish clear internal protocols for escalating more complicated problems to appropriate teams while keeping the customer informed.
7. Public vs. Private Conversations: Respond publicly to initial queries to show transparency, but move sensitive discussions to private messages to protect customer confidentiality and avoid public disputes.
8. Track Metrics and Feedback: Use analytics tools to measure response time, resolution rate, and customer sentiment. Regularly analyze feedback to identify areas of improvement and make data-driven adjustments.
9. Educate and Empower Your Team: Ensure your social media team is well-trained in customer service and has access to the tools and resources they need to resolve issues effectively.
10. Stay Positive and Empathetic: Even in difficult situations, maintain a calm and empathetic tone. A positive and solution-oriented attitude can diffuse tension and leave a lasting impression on customers.

Overcoming Challenges in Social Media Support

Social media support isn’t always easy. There are some situations you will encounter while implementing a system, including:

High Volume of Messages

Challenge: Managing a large influx of messages across platforms can overwhelm teams.
Solution: Use a centralized social media management tool to streamline responses and assign messages to the appropriate representatives.

Negative Feedback

Challenge: Handling public complaints without escalating the issue further.
Solution: Acknowledge the customer’s concern, apologize if necessary, and provide a resolution or steps being taken to address the issue. Transparency can turn critics into advocates.

Balancing Automation and Personalization

Challenge: Over-reliance on automation may make responses feel impersonal.
Solution: Use AI for initial responses but include options to escalate conversations to a human agent. Personalize replies whenever possible.

Platform-Specific Requirements

Challenge: Navigating the different features and formats of various platforms (e.g., Twitter’s character limit vs. Instagram’s visual focus).
Solution: Tailor your responses to fit each platform while maintaining consistency in brand tone and messaging.

Time Zone Differences

Challenge: Providing timely support to a global audience across multiple time zones.
Solution: Build a distributed support team or use scheduling tools to ensure continuous monitoring and response capabilities.

Managing Public Perception

Challenge: Publicly visible complaints can harm brand reputation.
Solution: Handle complaints transparently, showing a willingness to resolve issues. Responding promptly and positively demonstrates accountability.

Limited Resources

Challenge: Small businesses may lack the resources for full-scale social media support.
Solution: Prioritize the platforms where your customers are most active and invest in affordable automation tools to optimize efficiency.

Keeping Up with Trends and Features

Challenge: Social media evolves quickly, with new features and trends emerging constantly.
Solution: Dedicate time for ongoing learning and experimentation. Stay updated on platform changes and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Closing Thoughts

Social media has become a cornerstone of modern customer support, offering unmatched opportunities for brands to engage directly with their customers.

By responding quickly, utilizing advanced technology, and fostering trust, businesses can exceed customer expectations and build long-lasting relationships. In a fast-paced world, companies that prioritize social media as a support channel gain a competitive edge, driving both loyalty and brand advocacy.

Although implementing world-class social media support can be challenging, when you do it right, you stand a great chance of growing a loyal, and returning customer who will be your brand ambassador as well.