5 Ways Social Media Customer Care Is a Game Changer

The wild growth of social media has transformed the way most of us communicate with our family, friends, romantic interests and most importantly, our customers.

Today I’m also going to share an infographic that we’ve put together to provide useful insights on platform adoption, business usage and brand successes.

But before we dive in, let’s look at five ways social media is changing how businesses approach customer support.

1. People Love Social Media

Consumers have experienced both trials and joy navigating the ever-expanding world of social media. In the U.S., adoption rates for social media grew from 5% in 2005 to 69% by 2016. Statista reports that in Canada, social media penetration is as high as 75%.

This explosive growth has provided people with a powerful sense of connection and fluency in their favorite platforms.

So they know how to navigate them very well, which means companies can easily provide support via these platforms, knowing that consumers will get it.

2. Social Media Offers Unique Advantages

It didn’t take long for brands to notice the simple method of customer interaction that’s possible with social media. In fact, 81 percent of businesses include social media as part of the way they offer services/products to their customers.

For many, this is a match made in heaven. After all, customer service provided over social media platforms cost one-sixth as much as the same service given from a call center.

And customers are longing for social media customer care. 63 percent of consumers expect your business to offer service this way. The vast majority of users (90%) have communicated to a brand through social media at least once.

3. Can Customer Support Via Social Media Meet Expectations?

Yes, but more work is needed here.

Many businesses have taken the leap and perhaps, with too much confidence. Of those who offer customer care through social media, 80% say they are doing an “exceptional” job.

If only people felt the same way. Only 8% of consumers would call the social media service they receive “exceptional”. This means that companies have some improvements to make and probably need to ensure that they’re staffing adequately.

4. Disappointed Public

As noted previously, many consumers feel unhappy with the quality of service they receive through social media channels. And it’s easy to see why.

Almost all complaints sent through social media (95%) never reach the company in question. Response rates to inquiries are shockingly poor – less than 13%.

Response timing is also a serious problem. Consumers expect social media responses in an hour (42%), 30 minutes (32%) or even immediately (11%).

But the average response from a business comes in five hours!

Not surprisingly, consumers share their dissatisfaction with others. Some will post online after a bad service experience (31%). Others (30%) will turn to a competitor.

This may be an indication that companies are not setting aside proper or enough resources for social media customer support.

5. Using Social Media Customer Care to Stand Out

The most effective brands that offer social media customer service are strengthening their bonds with consumers. Organizations that offer the best service experience report a 92% customer retention rate. Even better, those customers spend 40% more and 71% of them will recommend that business to others.

Customer care via social media is likely going to become the standard for service delivery in e-commerce and beyond. You can build customer relationships by executing your service efforts with integrity and efficiency. Doing so is the best way to keep your customers satisfied.

Alright, here’s the infographic as promised. Due to its size, we’ve provided an external link to it here: Social Media Customer Care

This publication was a contributed post (content) and may not reflect the views of Tech Help Canada

Karthik Reddy

Karthik Reddy, the Community Manager at Websitebuilder.org.uk is the author of India’s Number 1 travel blog. After completing his MBA in computer science, he decided to get away from the office desk life and take the breathtaking journey of traveling the world. He is eager to use the sociability of the web to inspire others. A passionate traveler and photography enthusiast, he aspires to share his experiences and help people see the world through his lens.