Most business owners will agree that customer service is one of the most important factors of their overall business strategy. After all, it can help you to develop a loyal customer base, which ultimately results in word-of-mouth marketing – probably the most effective type of marketing there is.
With the significant rise of digital marketing and social media, marketers are now looking to integrate good customer service into their online strategies. This involves driving conversation and engagement, and offering rewards to those loyal customers. According to The Drum, an infographic from Ambassador – a referral tracking and management software – found that 70% of those helped via social media customer service return as a customer in the future.
The research also found that 33% of consumers would rather contact a company through social media than by telephone. Statistics like these show how important it is to not only be present on social networks, but to be consistently active in order to provide excellent customer service. Increasingly, consumers are expecting brands to have an active presence on social media 24 hours a day and if you’re not meeting these expectations, it’s likely you’re losing business.
In order to achieve maximum customer satisfaction, businesses must maintain good communication across all channels.
Here are a few ways in which marketers can provide the best customer service through their social media and online marketing strategies:
Social Media Support
Hiring a social media manager or coming up with a system that allows your customer service team to participate in enquiries via social media, will only make for a better customer experience. Users on social networks expect a quick response. That’s why they didn’t email in the first place. It is important to remember this and reply to the customer as soon as possible.
According to new research from IMGROUP in Marketing Magazine, Next was named the top retailer for social media customer service, followed by Argos and Marks & Spencer. Next scored 92% on the average Facebook response rate and achieved an average response time of 28 minutes.
User-Friendly Website
Did you know, one of the main reasons why visitors leave a website in the first few seconds is because they can’t easily find what they are looking for? It can be very frustrating for the user and as a result, your business loses out. Making sure your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate should be one of your number one priorities. Whilst the customer may not directly be receiving a service, your website is all part of the experience for them, and if this fails, you’ve failed them.
Effective Email Marketing
Keep your customers in the loop about new products, special offers and events to make them feel valued. Reward them for their loyalty by sending them a special discount voucher or inviting them to an exclusive event. You can also include some news to let them know what your company has been up to, whether it’s a new product in the pipeline, an award for your excellent customer service, or a new employee joining the team.