Originally posted on thenextweb.com.
The holiday season is upon us and as every brand knows, this is the time to reach out to as many old and new consumers. Since consumers are more likely to shop online than they are to visit popular brick and mortar locations, retailers will see record web traffic this year, according to Deloitte’s 31st annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends.
In order to make sure your customer service on social media is up to par and ready for this upcoming shopping season, in which shoppers plan to spend an average of $998 this year, follow the following tips.
Engage with your customers on social media
In order to avoid turning your company into a social media holiday horror story, make sure you’re on the social media channels your customers are most likely to be on. Don’t try to be on so many platforms and post too often that you lose track of what you’re goals are. Remember to be consistent about the ways you engage with your customers on these networks.
While customer support may seem like it’s not quantifiable, that isn’t true. If your customer service is amazing, and you support your customers when they have a question or an issue to solve, you’ll see an increase in future revenue. In fact, customers who had the best past experiences spend 140 percent more compared to those who had the poorest past experience.
Manage crises like a pro
Your company doesn’t need an actual major crisis to take place in order for you to lose potential clients. With 51% of people giving up on a purchase after only one attempt to reach support, and 62 percent of customers actually turning to a competitor due to a bad customer experience, you can’t afford to ignore the facts.
Businesses need to realize that it is the customer who controls the brand narrative on social media. Remembering that a strong defense can be the best offense, is crucial to your success. If companies are prepared to turn incidents and the resulting social nightmare into opportunities, they’ll only benefit from their efforts. When it comes down to it, the best thing you can do is to apologize for any inconvenience, being sympathetic to the customer’s needs, and offering to speak about the problem in private.
Provide exceptional customer service
97 percent of consumers worldwide consider customer service very important or somewhat important, which means you absolutely can’t afford to give your customers less than 100 percent. In a study conducted by Conversocial, 30 percent of all the respondents said they never got a response or resolution, while 30 percent said it took more than thirty minutes, an eternity for customers who are in dire need of assistance.
Conversocial has helped hundreds of companies navigate the necessary complexities of social customer care by improving their resolution time, customer satisfaction, and more. Using platforms like this one enables businesses to tackle the issue of customer service in the best possible way without having to worry they might miss out on a customer request or comment along the way.
Personalize the customer experience
Research shows customers who have a positive exchange with a business on social media are 71% more likely to recommend that business to others. Furthermore, by reaching out directly to your customer, they’re likely to be more loyal to your brand and appreciate your customer service much more.
You can personalize your customer experience by soliciting feedback from your customers on your social channels. You can, for instance, create a hashtag to invite conversations surrounding your brand to find out about what your customers need or want you to do, or you can reach out directly to a client with a personalized video or email to thank them for their business.
Get ready for the post-holiday rush
The post-holiday days can be just as crazy as the holiday season itself. By encouraging your customers to visit your site for returns or gift cards after the holidays are over, you’ll be guaranteeing your business is blossoming long after the holidays.