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Remember how we all “dislike” being put on hold on a phone line or approaching prompts to get the must deserved customer service.
With all the improved high tech world and more beneficial communication tools, various organizations have found an interesting way to reach customers and improve customer service.
Through social media, customers get exactly what they are looking for and receive better customer support and easier ways to contact an organization. Jump into the game changing strategy to increase company’s touch, use social media for business, if you are not because serving customers is social, too!
Listed below are a few creative ways which a business can use to improve customer service by using social media.
1) Twitter – Tweet to serve the customers:
Tweet to solve an issue: The much used phone conversations may help solve the problems but the wait time will not. A single tweet is enough to reach a lot of customers in just one click, which made twitter a fast-lightning platform.
Build global image: Better customer service gets talked about, which may lead to better brand image and more sales. Twitter is one of the social media ways that may turn a single happy customer story to international news.
Reduction in cost: Customers have better things to do than to be on call for hours because of a simple issue. With Twitter, the solution is quick, cheap and precise and it also reduces the call rates and time.
2) Online chat – Let the customers save through technology:
There can be various reasons to use the chat functionality. Some consumers are not always comfortable or understand the solution on call or have a lot of patience to pick the phone to call the service center.
Also online chat can be a great way to inform customers about your new services or to sell the complimentary helpful products. Whether the problem is about a bank account or online assistance, chat works great for customers and the company.
3) Serve customers through blog posts:
Blog is the finest way to create a social customer service strategy using social media style. The World Wide Web has taught us to demand and get everything immediately without wasting much time and effort and blogs do exactly the same.
A blog post can solve customer query, market a product or service and advertise about the new improvements of the company. The regular and easy updates on the blogs keep the brand always in news.
The comment section of the blog provides instant feedback about the product or service, which may turn the negatives into positives and develop brand image.
4) Serving customers through forums:
If a lot of customers are facing a similar kind of issue and calling to ask the same questions, it is smarter to put the solution that is searchable globally by the users and the search engines. The customer can easily click on the product name, to sort out their issues.
Also, a forum can provide various solutions to a single problem so that the customer can choose the most suitable one. Along with better and quick customer support, a forum may reduce your customer service admin calls, as the customers are getting the solutions through the net.
5) Communicate through social networking sites:
Social networking sites have brought the world closer and made life easier and now its time for the organizations to use these channels as a means of providing better customer service.
The sites like Facebook, Orkut and MySpace not just enable a company to communicate with the customers on various levels but also help solicit feedback, send out the update bulletins about the product and service and manage the reputation and the image of the brand.
These sites bring you closer to the customers, which enhance customer support. Build community, start an event or social networking forum, the ultimate result would be, better brand image through proper customer service!
Conclusion:
Social media has provided interesting ways to reach customers and improve customer service through customer feedback, providing important announcements via social networking sites and follow market trends.
Questions for YOU: What are your thoughts? Do you think some businesses are falling with technology? When was the last time you were contacted by a business and how was it done?
Ashish Sharma is the Co-Editor at SEO-SMO.net,as well as an Internet Research Analyst. He writes regularly on advanced SEO topics at his Natural Search and Mobile SEO Techniques to examine the broader world of SEO and Social Media and advertising. He is always eager to learn new things and implementing new ideas. His Passion in the field of SEO made him SEO Expert Consultant.
View all posts by Ashish Sharma, there might be other posts that interest you.
{ 14 comments }
I am encountering a lot of these business on Facebook recently.
I have actually seen some radio stations in South Africa use Twitter and Facebook to get more viewers/interest.
There are some businesses that have taken up social media and using it to the max, while there are others that are falling behind.
BTW, only the strongest businesses will survive.
I agree that only strong business can survive. but i feel that social media can also help small business owners and help them to grow, improving branding and awareness about their local business.
The more you communicate with customers the more you get popular….
This is a great write up – completely agree with it. A great example of someone doing a great job actually is the UK’s Virgin Trains. They answer live Tweets to individuals about trains being late, toilets not working… pretty much anything you can think of.
I love the way they do that! Very modern… very quirky!
@Stacey – wow, answering questions about toilets. That is surely making the best of it. Glad to see some companies/businesses pushing it to the max
I’m new blogger and just use social media to promote my blog. Thanks this post helpful me
I am using blog, Facebook and Twitter to serve my visitors now.
I find my blog is a good way of connecting with people but I should make the most of Twitter and Facebook if others are finding them so useful. I’ll crack on with that now!
I think it is a good thing that businesses have been able to make the most of Social Media and Internet after all the model of service has to change according to technology and the way the people live
@Shiva – yes, the businesses that evolve and change early are the ones who will ride the wave of success. That’s my opinion. I also think that some businesses are not always ready for the change, sort of scared to change and evolve.
As the internet start growing and now it is an essential part of our life. It not Just about business but in every sector Social media and internet help us to serve, utilize and learn in better ways.
As we all guys here like you, me, george and others knows each via this blog. we people sharing our thoughts, learning new thing together, helping others, solve issues of customers, i mean we actually living with social media in every aspect of life may be more or less.
hi face book, twitter, myspace are use for business services and we are also create images, video and our product details post at all social media site and increase your business and marketing your product.
Good advice. And joining social networking sites can also help us increase traffic on our websites and bring us new orders. It’s great source.
@Jack – yes social networking can bring in more traffic, but it’s hard work to maintain that level.
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