Many companies have already jumped onto Twitter to increase customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs and provide exceptional customer service, have you?
If not, you should likely reconsider.
Customers have taken to Twitter in droves, seeking out customer service. In fact, just over the past two years, there has been a 2.5x increase in customer service conversations on Twitter, a recent Twitter study reveals.
Social media has revolutionized customer service, but it’s no longer enough to just be on a particular social platform. Consumers are particular about when they want their service on social media (immediately) and how (personalized). By taking swift action and acting more human, companies can exceed customers’ expectations.
Reply, and make it fast!
The instantaneous nature of Twitter, coupled with the opportunity to personalize every interaction, is not only a chance to solve problems but also to show potential customers that the company cares and wants to make things right. As a bonus, customer service on Twitter can save companies up to 80 percent per interaction compared to phone calls, the unabridged Twitter report notes.
Consumers value customer service as the largest overall factor in customer satisfaction, more important than the brand itself or bang for the buck. When done right, customer service on social is a huge boost to a brand.
And companies have good reason to turn to social media. Around 85 percent of customers who have a satisfactory customer service interaction on Twitter are likely to recommend the brand to others, the Twitter study explains.
But, for a social media customer interaction to be considered positive, it has to happen quickly. According to the Twitter study, customer service response times on Twitter vary from 4 seconds to 221 hours. Despite the varied range, 60 percent of consumers still expect brands to respond to customer service requests in less than an hour.
A 2015 report sponsored by BT and Avaya found even more demanding results with autonomous customers, consumers who are super-charged by access to online information. The study, based on the views of 5,500 global autonomous customers, revealed that 70 percent expect a response to a social media comment within 15 minutes. More so, one in three agree that, for an urgent or emergency issue, Twitter/Facebook is the best way to get customer service.
Unfortunately, customers still often don’t get a response at all. Consumers in the Twitter study reported that only 9 percent of them heard from a brand after mentioning it on Twitter. Considering how the Twitterverse can quickly turn on a company (in the worst case, creating a PR nightmare for the brand), quick response is critical.
Be human
What exceptional Twitter customer service boils down to is the cliché heard ‘round the world: “be human.” Humanizing your brand means avoiding robotic copy and paste responses, and really tailoring the reply to the customer.
Personalizing the conversation and connecting with the customer is key. The BT/Avaya research revealed that four in five respondents said customer service agents should be instantly familiar with consumers’ contact histories.
More so, when a brand includes the Twitter user’s name as well as its brand representative’s name, consumers are more likely to recommend the brand, according to the Twitter study. Customers are 22 percent more likely to be satisfied with a brand after this sort of personalized customer service interaction.
Ultimately, a lot of factors go into getting customer service on Twitter right, but acting swiftly and human are critical to being #CustServ champions.
