Social Customer Service Tips

Below are a few things I like to keep in mind when managing customer service on social. Have any more to add?

• Recognize in a timely manner. Even if you are unable to quickly answer someone’s question or concern, make sure you at least say you’ll get back to them. This way, they know they’ve been heard and will, hopefully, stay patient.

• Find a solution. After letting the customer know you’ve heard them, now it’s time to find a solution for them. Act as their partner, rather than someone behind the glass. Asking questions is a good thing, but try to think of all the questions that will give you the right information you’ll need rather than going back and forth. This will save you both time.

• Take it offline. If the conversation is becoming heated or is taking to many back-and-forth public messages, take it offline. Your community will be happy you did as this could cannibalize message streams. Once they’ve received the necessary information, think about posting to the message stream where the convo all started so that other community members can benefit and see a resolution. 

• Compensate. Prepare an arsenal of treats. Ask your manager if you can give out coupons codes, free samples/products, etc. when necessary. Of course, these should only be used in the right situation. So, put together a document outlining when it’s deemed appropriate.

• Record. Remember to track these customer questions and issues so you can determine trends, prepare FAQs, social content, etc. This tracking will also help every team in the organization. For example, if there’s a functionality that’s causing customers grief, you can send this trend over to the developers so they can improve the product.