Social Media Platforms Pave the Way for Improved Digital Customer Care

Have you heard the story about the passenger on JetBlue whose seat-back TV screen wasn’t working? Clearly disappointed (though not angry), he tweeted the view of a static screen and said it was his first complaint about his favorite airline.

In minutes, JetBlue had tweeted back: “Oh no! That’s not what we like to hear!” And in less than a half-hour, the once-unhappy passenger had received a credit for the non-working TV, and tweeted his delight at the excellent customer service.

Social media customer service, or social care, has become a reality that no business can afford to ignore. With more people spending more time on social media, it’s quickly becoming a preferred method of communication. The number of tweets targeted at brands is also increasing, which clearly means it’s time for businesses to direct their attention to this new method of customer service.

Twitter, in particular, wants to become a more formal customer service channel for your business. Earlier this year, it announced two new tools to help businesses provide better service on its platform, including easier transitions from public tweets to private messages, and a new feature called Customer Feedback, which lets people privately share their opinions with a business after a service interaction.

The ease of use, combined with the proven success rate—companies that use Twitter as a social care channel are seeing a 19 percent increase in customer satisfaction!—should be all the encouragement you need to give it a try. And it won’t be hard to beat the competition: Twitter customer service data shows that, as of February 2015, 38 percent of customers’ tweets receive no response at all from the company.

Although the majority of customer service interactions are on Twitter, Facebook isn’t far behind. Facebook, too, recently added new features for managing customer communications, including the ability for people and businesses to exchange private messages, and a way for marketers to organize customer comments on a page.

Social care encompasses more than just solving problems—it creates stronger connections with your customers. That’s what superior customer service is all about.

Steve Brubaker began his career at InfoCision in 1985. In his current role as Chief of Staff and as a member of the Executive Team, he is responsible for HR, internal and external communications, and manages the company’s legal and compliance departments. Brubaker is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the DMA, SOCAP, and PACE. He also donates his time to serve on several university boards, including the Executive Advisory Board for The Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing at The University of Akron and The University of Akron Foundation Board. He is a frequent speaker for national events and has also been honored with a number of awards and recognitions for his contributions to the call center industry.