An important direction of online communication between companies and customers is now becoming increasingly clear. It is called Social Customer Care, it can simplify customer service and take the company's reputation to the next level.
What is Social Customer Care?
The term derives from the combination of Social Media and Customer Care and it actually means customer service through social media channels.
Yet, it is more than customer service on Facebook, Twitter or any other social medium. It is a real conversation between the company and the customer, it takes place in the customer’s preferred channel and aims to the solution of a specific problem, along with the help, the answer and the guidance needed.
Therefore, Social Customer Care is the modern way of communication a company uses with its clients to listen to their real needs and start a real-time dialogue. Essentially, it is customer experience.
A renewed perspective in customer experience
The way we use social media has already begun to change. They used to be a marketing tool in the pre-sales stage and we see how they now constitute a powerful weapon for the after-sales stage, for customer communication and overall brand awareness experience. This shift has a strong influence on the way companies set marketing goals, their methodology, the tools they use and the new skills Social Media Marketers need to develop.
How does it work?
Now that we have defined that Social Customer Care is the service of customer experience through social media, let’s see how it actually works. Customers no longer call a company, but post a tweet, comment, message on its Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook account. The people that monitor, edit, respond and take care of all customer requests, one by one, can be social media managers, community managers, or have any other title, but they definitely have to be communication and social media channels experts.
We have a real example of social customer care for Piraeus Bank, during the difficult times of capital controls. Our team handled the bank’s Facebook and Twitter accounts on a 24/7 basis, managing requests of thousands of users that have chosen social media as a primary means of support, implementing direct and creative ways of communication, while being in touch with the bank’s call center at all times.
What makes Social Customer Care necessary for your business?
- Customers expect this service
Up until now, customers took communication through email and web form as a given. Nowadays, we know that they will choose online, personal service channels such as Facebook Messenger, Viber, etc, as they perceive this way of reaching out as the fastest, more reliable and personalized option.
- Comments and reviews have enormous power
Since the biggest part of communication happens online through social media, a large number of customers’ comments looking for help is expected to be publicly posted.
This, of course, means that the answers provided and the overall community management the company applies have great power in the means of the potential positive or negative image building and this management is able to influence the rest of users and possible customers that come across these comments.
For example, if a company manages in a perfect, direct and professional way any public comment and demand, it automatically multiplies its chances to be picked as a reliable brand from anyone that reads these specific dialogues. This information, the way the company handles customers, makes all the difference to potential customers, who will make the decision to choose this company’s services right on the spot - especially in contrast with a company that has no social customer care or is totally absent from social media.
- It multiplies marketing results
Marketing campaigns build awareness and they may well be very specific, but they only reach 100% of success if the company has maintained a significantly satisfying customer care level, which, in turn, affects reviews and evaluations.
For example, a well designed marketing campaign for a restaurant may look amazing, but users may discover unanswered negative comments, bad reviews and disappointing experience in the comments of previous customers. There is no need to say that the restaurant would have already lost the customer.
In other words, customer service and customer experience is, essentially, the management of each customer’s expectations. Every modern business should be partnered with an agency that crafts its Social Media Marketing strategy, in order to reach its goals for brand awareness, customer experience and post-sales customer service.
At Wedia, we are always ready for the next social care challenge and ready to use the knowledge, experience and team effort of our specialists. Let’s meet and talk about it!
