The emergence of social media has completely changed the world we live in and the way we do business. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that you consistently and constantly deliver high-quality customer service. Social media has become the norm – and there’s no hiding from it.

On the positive side, social media gives companies the ability to connect with, and develop meaningful relationships with, customers and provide direct service in a very transparent and public way. On the negative side – angry customers and negative reviews can quickly gain traction and spiral out of control.

How Customer Service Has Changed

There’s no denying that the state of customer service has evolved drastically with the introduction of social media. It used to be that customer service was mainly conducted through in-person interactions and telephone calls. Now, more and more customer service is handled online through email support, online chats, and social media. Customers have gone from being willing to (even expecting to) wait in line to talk to someone, to demanding immediate interaction with a customer service rep through social on their smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Customers not only expect companies to be on social media, they take for granted that they’ll be interactive, entertaining, and educational on multiple platforms. It wasn’t too long ago that a company was only expected to have a basic Facebook page, now it’s assumed that your business has built a presence on many of the popular platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, and whatever new site launches next week.

Providing Customer Service Through Social Media

When social media was first introduced into the mainstream, many businesses struggled with the idea of changing how they interact with customers and how they provide customer service. Just the idea of needing someone to monitor so many social media accounts 24 hours a day was overwhelming.

But once management and other leaders wrapped their heads around all the changes, many embraced the potential benefits of being able to reach more customers, faster, at any given moment. And as an added bonus, companies soon realized how easy it is to collect more customer data than ever before and then use that information to connect with people in a more authentic, less “salesy” way.

The Power of Word of Mouth

Everyone knows that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. But the opposite is also true: it can be dangerous if your customers don’t have nice things to say. Thanks to social media, unhappy customers have no shortage of options when it comes to quickly and easily sharing their negative experiences for the whole world to see.

No one wants to get a bad review, but we shouldn’t be so fast to discount the potential benefits of the negative reviews on social media either. If a customer makes a complaint, he or she has given you an opportunity to show off just how attentive and accommodating your support staff is. The key in these cases is to acknowledge the customer’s issue as quickly as possible before it gets out of hand. When handled properly, negative reviews and comments can be used to your advantage to earn long-term customers.

If you need help managing your social media and interactions, there are a number of tools available. Whatever strategy you put in place, make sure it starts with a plan to regularly monitor your company’s social media pages. Remember, social media provides yet another opportunity to elevate your customer service efforts and enhance your customers’ experience.

Customer Service and Social Media