Customer Service Then and Customer Experience Now

Do you remember the days of customer service before social media? For many companies, it seemed like they had a goal of breaking down the customer, hoping to frustrate them out of wanting to be helped at all. Their attitude was, “Wow, you sure seem mad. But what are you going to do about it?” And they were right, there wasn’t much a customer could do…then!

Along came social media, and suddenly customers could actually could do something about it. Customers could demand proper service and help. They could give feedback and suggestions directly to the company, and if the company didn’t listen, other customers and prospects would—and this feedback could influence their future purchasing decisions!

Social media support as a part of a brand's customer service is important. Today’s customers are well-informed, empowered and have higher expectations than ever. Not only do they expect their inquiries to be handled with speed and accuracy, but if they receive unsatisfactory service, they can (and will) share their bad experience in vivid detail in social forums like Facebook and Twitter.

• 53% of customers reaching out to a brand for service on Twitter expect a response within an hour.
• 32% expect a response within half an hour.
• 57% expect the same response time on nights & weekends as during business hours.

Companies can’t afford to avoid social media. Customer service must become more social and focus on engaging with customers in their chosen channels.

Just like the phone, social media is a customer service tool that companies can use to listen to customers to provide them with an overall better experience. While all kinds of technology have sprung up to manage the customer service processes, the human element can’t be ignored.

Social media allows brands to interact with customers in real-time to either solve their issues or to get them to someone who can help them. The ability for a company to quickly solve customer issues and proactively address customer concerns and ideas–leads to an improved customer experience and builds overall loyalty.