Social media is evolving in response to consumer needs and the rise of the social customer. As the
sector is maturing, more companies understand the necessity of responding to complaints and
customer issues publicly and quickly.
This step-change has resulted in a shift in consumer expectations. Many customers now expect a public response when they mention a brand on a social network or have an issue or complaint. The absence of a swift response (in real-time if possible) is now seen as an abject ‘fail’ and responding online is increasingly seen as the norm.
Because it is now far easier to give feedback to companies about products and service, there is more accountability for businesses that provide a poor customer experience.
A further consequence of changing expectations is a reduction in the acceptable time span for companies to respond. Consumers expect companies to respond more quickly. A potential pitfall is that a fast response may not always be the right approach, particularly if the issues are complex or involve legal aspects or specific members of staff.
Nevertheless, it is essential that companies are actively monitoring what is being said about their brand online. Customers are far less likely to tolerate being ignored online and quick response can often mitigate the risk of an issue escalating to an online crisis.
As more companies have started to use these tools, they have started to use the insights in a much more personal way. Many companies with a social media presence tend to reply to every customer who mentions the brand online and in general, businesses are getting much better at the follow- up.
This step-change has resulted in a shift in consumer expectations. Many customers now expect a public response when they mention a brand on a social network or have an issue or complaint. The absence of a swift response (in real-time if possible) is now seen as an abject ‘fail’ and responding online is increasingly seen as the norm.
Because it is now far easier to give feedback to companies about products and service, there is more accountability for businesses that provide a poor customer experience.
A further consequence of changing expectations is a reduction in the acceptable time span for companies to respond. Consumers expect companies to respond more quickly. A potential pitfall is that a fast response may not always be the right approach, particularly if the issues are complex or involve legal aspects or specific members of staff.
Nevertheless, it is essential that companies are actively monitoring what is being said about their brand online. Customers are far less likely to tolerate being ignored online and quick response can often mitigate the risk of an issue escalating to an online crisis.
As more companies have started to use these tools, they have started to use the insights in a much more personal way. Many companies with a social media presence tend to reply to every customer who mentions the brand online and in general, businesses are getting much better at the follow- up.
In addition, fewer companies are using automated direct messaging and auto-tweets to reply to
customer issues, indicating that they are finally getting to grips with best practice. The next step is
to ensure companies offer a consistent response across all their marketing channels. Social media
channels make the company’s approach to customer service much more visible, but it is worth
remembering that social is not a short-term, quick fix.
Social media does not operate in silos and customers will interact with companies across many different channels. Therefore, the quality of the experience needs to be consistent across channels and staff in call centres and retail outlets (where relevant) must be briefed about what is happening online.
Many companies are still fearful of the risk of a social media crisis and fear of reputational damage is still a significant barrier to interacting with social media channels. Another risk comes from disingenuous customers that don’t have real complaints or are simply complaining on social media channels to get something for nothing.
However, companies should remember that online complaints cannot always be resolved. This is where having a social media policy or set of internal guidelines can help. Businesses must brief their staff on the best way to handle complaints online how to resolve a customer dispute, including the action to take if and when the customer is acting unreasonably. An understanding of crisis management is now essential.
Social media does not operate in silos and customers will interact with companies across many different channels. Therefore, the quality of the experience needs to be consistent across channels and staff in call centres and retail outlets (where relevant) must be briefed about what is happening online.
Many companies are still fearful of the risk of a social media crisis and fear of reputational damage is still a significant barrier to interacting with social media channels. Another risk comes from disingenuous customers that don’t have real complaints or are simply complaining on social media channels to get something for nothing.
However, companies should remember that online complaints cannot always be resolved. This is where having a social media policy or set of internal guidelines can help. Businesses must brief their staff on the best way to handle complaints online how to resolve a customer dispute, including the action to take if and when the customer is acting unreasonably. An understanding of crisis management is now essential.
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