{"id":317527,"date":"2020-08-06T09:42:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T16:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=317527"},"modified":"2020-07-27T09:45:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T16:45:29","slug":"make-social-media-part-of-your-customer-experience-strategy","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/blog\/post\/make-social-media-part-of-your-customer-experience-strategy","title":{"rendered":"Make Social Media Part of Your Customer Experience Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_section full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221;][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To paraphrase Howard Beale in the cult classic movie <em>Network<\/em>, \u201cI\u2019m mad as hell and I\u2019m going to tweet about it!\u201d We\u2019ve all been in there before: You had a great \u2014 or terrible \u2014 customer experience with a company and now you feel like you just <em>have to <\/em>share it on social media. If you\u2019re not the tweeting or sharing type, you\u2019re likely a social media lurker \u2014 the person who reads online customer reviews of a product, service or company before deciding to engage with a brand for the first time. And if you see too many bad reviews, tweets or posts, you likely won\u2019t engage with that company at all.<\/p>\n<p>Providing a great customer experience goes beyond the actual agent-customer interaction. In-person or voice interactions are hard to ignore, but they happen behind the scenes, visible only to the agent and the customer. They\u2019re real-time conversations in which an agent assists a customer or prospect to answer a question, fix a problem or complete a transaction.<\/p>\n<p>But interactions that occur through social media are a different story. Social media interactions are more upfront; everyone sees them \u2014 whether you like it or not. All too often though, companies ignore a chance to engage with their customers or prospects through social channels. Responding to those customer mentions is crucial to building brand loyalty.<\/p>\n<p>Still, companies only respond to half of the online messages they receive. And that non-response results in a 43% drop in customer advocacy. Taking the time to respond online \u2014 whether it\u2019s a good or poor review \u2014 pays dividends for a company, increasing customer advocacy in the brand by 20%.<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"http:\/\/info.microsoft.com\/rs\/157-GQE-382\/images\/EN-CNTNT-Report-DynService-2017-global-state-customer-service-en-au.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft report<\/a>, 74% of millennials say that a company being responsive on social media improves their perception of that brand. And the faster you respond, the better. Sixty-six percent of those polled expect a response within 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p>To be sure you\u2019re putting your best foot forward in the social space, create some social media best practices that include rules and recommended approaches for dealing with any cheers \u2014 or jeers \u2014 that come your way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tracking the Tweets, Likes and Hashtags<br \/>\n<\/strong>The first step in creating a golden book of social media rules is to find out what people are saying about you. And that involves performing a social media audit \u2014 learn who\u2019s saying what \u2014 and on which channels. Different social media channels will elicit different types of customer feedback. So, perform searches for your company being tagged on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and even TikTok.<\/p>\n<p>Look for trends and influencers. If you find an account that seems to engage your brand hashtag often, there\u2019s likely some value in following that account. If you see several interactions that ask particular questions \u2014 sizing, assembly instructions, environmental efforts, for example \u2014 it could be valuable to set up a social media channel that\u2019s specifically dedicated to answering those types of questions.<\/p>\n<p>You also can use various tools, such as HootSuite, TweetDeck and Sprout, to constantly monitor social channels to keep tabs on all interactions. And look to hiring someone who\u2019s well-versed in social media to become the designated point person for monitoring and responding to comments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Going Social<br \/>\n<\/strong>Once you\u2019ve got a handle on the ways in which customers are mentioning your brand on social channels, it\u2019s time to respond. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/social-business\/social-media-customer-service-statistics-and-trends-infographic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Social Media Today<\/a>, 88% of consumers are less likely to buy from companies that don\u2019t answer complaints on social media. But crafting the right response can be tricky. You want to be responsive and friendly \u2014 without sounding like a bot.<\/p>\n<p>Using the same response repeatedly for multiple customers isn\u2019t going to get you any points for personalisation or for making that customer feel important or valued. And for more sensitive questions, a direct message might be the way to go. Offer that customer an email address so they can contact you directly to resolve an issue or share personal information.<\/p>\n<p>Not only does <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zappos.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online retailer Zappos<\/a> respond to customer comments on social media with sometimes humorous messages, it does so within an hour of posting. This online personalisation has set the brand apart for its social media savviness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Make Room for Social in the Customer Experience<br \/>\n<\/strong>Providing a great customer experience means not only treating customers like they matter (Spoiler alert: They do.), it\u2019s also about making interactions with you easier. And 58% of people say that <a href=\"https:\/\/clutch.co\/pr-firms\/resources\/how-social-media-transforming-pr-consumer-business-relationship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social media makes customer service easier<\/a> for consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Improving customer experience won\u2019t happen overnight. It involves a few well-thought-out strategies \u2014 from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/collateral\/choose-a-partner-not-just-a-vendor?ost_tool=blog&amp;ost_campaign=blogpost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">migrating to a cloud contact centre<\/a> to improving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/resources\/2020-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-workforce-engagement-management?ost_tool=blog&amp;ost_campaign=blogpost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">employee engagement<\/a> to making sure your customers and prospects can contact you on any channel, whenever they want. A social media strategy should be another key element in your list for achieving customer experience excellent.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_section full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221;][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To paraphrase Howard Beale in the cult classic movie Network, \u201cI\u2019m mad as hell and I\u2019m going to tweet about it!\u201d We\u2019ve all been in there before: You had a great \u2014 or terrible \u2014 customer experience with a company and now you feel like you just have to share it on social media. 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