6 Easy Ways for Your Brand to Provide Better Social Media Care

Over 60% of users prefer messaging a company rather than calling. That’s a big deal.

At least 47% of people in the United States and 59% of people worldwide have a more favorable view of brands that respond to customer inquiries on social media. Establishing a high level of customer service for your brand on social media— social care— is thus one of the most important things your brand can do to better engage the public.

Social care, when done correctly, can create trust online and to build online communities supporting your brand.

With 3.8 million followers, Wendy’s Twitter account is one of the best known accounts for their social care— most notably, not just when something goes wrong.

Examples of Tweets from the Wendy’s Twitter account. Notice the reactive social care to a poor customer experience, top, as well as the company’s humorous take at interacting with the public, bottom. This strategy has led to the creation of a r… — **Examples of Tweets from the** Wendy’s Twitter account. Notice the reactive social care to a poor customer experience, top, as well as the company’s humorous take at interacting with the public, bottom. **This strategy has led to the creation of a robust online community that regularly interacts with the Wendy’s brand. Be sure to use a voice consistent with your brand and specific situation.**

Remember that people have customer service expectations on social media just as they do in-person.

Here are 6 tips to optimize your social care activities for better satisfaction:

BE THERE
If you want to provide the best social care, you need to know how to best reach your customers. Research to see where they are most active and tailor your social care activities to those platforms— but don’t ignore the customers on other platforms.
Some larger brands have a dedicated account for customer service inquiries. Use a system that works best for your brand, your staff and, most importantly, your customers.
BE PROMPT
Once you have established your brand’s social care, the most important thing you can do is be quick in your responses! Nearly 60% of customers expect a response within an hour. Why? Over 60% of customers prefer messaging to calling a company, but they expect the same level of service as they would receive when calling your brand directly.
Remember, though, that time should not be sacrificed for quality: 50% of customers are likely to boycott a brand if they perceive a poor response to their inquiry on social! Be prompt and provide meaningful responses.
BE ACTIVE
Respond to customers who have good experiences with your brand along with negative experiences. Browse mentions of your name on platforms that don’t include your handle or other ways that might not be obvious and interact with them! Wendy’s does this very well.
Social media creates an “always on” presence, even if your representatives aren’t always logged on. Be transparent about when your accounts are monitored. Automated responses are an option, but…
BE PERSONAL
The last thing you want to do is to make your customers feel undervalued on social through stagnant, robotic responses. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a set of responses for frequently asked questions, but consider personalizing them to the person to whom you are responding. Include their names or mention their specific experience. Some brands choose to include the initials of the representatives responding to inquiries.
BE RELATABLE
Not only do you want to treat your customer like a human being, but you also want your customers to view your account as being managed by a human being. Use a tone that matches that of your customers. If a customer is using a sarcastic tone, it may be acceptable to match it. If they are truly upset, try a more empathetic approach. It is acceptable to use a playful tone in some situations and a more serious tone in others; just remember to…
BE CONSISTENT
Set expectations and guidelines for your social media staff in responding to inquiries. It is important for customers to receive the same level of care, no matter which member of your staff is responding. Make sure your staff is aware of how to properly, correctly and consistently respond to inquiries. If a staff member makes a mistake, own up to it. Honesty is essential. Also consider setting processes in place to help customers be aware of when your social is monitored, and be sure to be active during those times.

Set guidelines and tracking measures for theoretical vs. actual response times. Know when to take conversations to a private direct message. Keep your style, tone and content all consistent with your brand image no matter who is responding— you’ll notice Wendy’s is a master at this.

This graphic from social media insights company Sprout Social shows how damaging a poor customer reaction can be on your brand. It is essential to make sure your responses are quick and meaningful.

What’s the big idea?

View social care as the opportunity it is! Social care allows brands to proactively and reactively interact with customers— possibly even before they decide to be customers. If you want to engage with your customers more directly and know how customers and potential customers feel about your brand, social care can go a long way. To learn more, click here.