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To say that social media managers wear many hats is an understatement. There are so many verbs tied to what we do – strategize, ideate, create, schedule, post, engage, report, analyze, and listen. It’s… a lot! But there’s one area that is growing in importance, and it’s often overlooked. That’s social media customer service. And if your brand isn’t investing in social media customer service, you’re not alone. According to Sprout Social, only 20% of brands have well-defined social customer care strategies. Let’s dive into what social media customer service is, what it entails, and how you can improve this year!
What is social media customer service?
Social media customer service goes beyond just answering customer inquiries on platforms like posts, messages, and reviews. It plays an important role in customer care. It’s about not only addressing issues but also creating helpful FAQs, improving the customer journey, social listening, and integrating technology whenever possible to help address quick, timely questions.
Why is social media customer service important?
Most consumers are on social media, and if they have a concern, they want to reach out on a platform they are already on simply because it’s easier. They may or may not know that the person on the other end is not a customer service representative. And they also may or may not care. From a brand reputation perspective, here’s why your brand needs to make social media customer service a priority in 2024:
“63% of consumers agree that their loyalty to a brand is significantly influenced by the quality of customer support they provide on social media, and leaders across customer service, marketing, and communications are taking note.” (Sprout Social)
That statement packs a lot of punch. There is a correlation between the quality of social media customer service and loyalty to your brand.
Challenges in implementing an effective social media customer service strategy
We feel a “but” coming on here, and we understand why. It’s not easy to lean into social media customer service for many reasons. Time, staffing, training, and communication between departments are significant roadblocks. Now that we’ve made a case for why you lean into a stronger social media customer service strategy in 2024, let’s look at some of the common challenges (with help from Sprout Social) and try and find potential solutions:
- “I’m a marketer, I don’t know the answer to customer service questions.” This is true – marketers may not have some of the answers. 41% of marketers polled by Sprout agree. Our advice? Don’t operate in a vacuum. A successful customer service strategy involves cross-department collaboration, especially on social media. Get your teams together and decide how you will handle social media customer service. It can be a shared responsibility.
- “It takes too much time, and I am busy with many other tasks.” Being busy is real. 48% of marketers polled by Sprout say that social media customer service is too much manual work. It doesn’t have to be. It’s important to use your available resources plus invest time and research into AI to help answer common questions that are identified using social listening and by looking at social media data.
- “There are so many messages and I am overwhelmed.” Burnout is also real. Adding another task to your list can be overwhelming; 63% of marketers polled by Sprout say the volume of messages pouring in is too much. A robust social media management tool can help alleviate a lot of this pressure. Having all of your comments and messages in one place makes it manageable and easier to see what’s been addressed, what hasn’t, and what still needs to be assigned.
How Overit can help with your social media customer service (and your social media management, too)!
Here at Overit, we like to remind our clients about the importance of social media customer service. It’s not just something to think about when something goes wrong, but when things are going well, too! Being proactive means you’re ready to handle any crisis, plus you’ll continue to build a brand with a loyal following.
When we conduct a social media audit, one of the things we will look at is how you’re doing with your social media customer service. Through social listening, we’re able to determine the sentiment related to your brand online across social media platforms. Gauging how you’re doing is a great baseline for what you need to improve. We’ll collaborate with you on how you can improve, and provide you with the steps to do so based on your team, your needs, and your budget.
Interested in elevating your social media strategy? Do you need help boosting your social media customer service? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about our social media marketing services!
