Ever since the first ever brand in the history of brands was created (we wonder what that was?) customer service has been important. In fact, it’s been crucial. If you don’t get your customer service spot on, we’re afraid to say your company will suffer! We hate to be blunt but that’s just the way it is.

So, when it comes to social media, the same applies. If your business has a presence on any of those well-known platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you need to offer great service 24/7 to every single one of your customers, just as you would in-store. Not convinced? Here’s why.

It’s All About Brand Identity

The face you put out into that crazy world of social media is how your customers will see your brand. From the content you share to the tone of voice you use, everything builds up your own unique identity that your audience is either going to love or run away from screaming. When it comes to customer service, if you want your brand to be seen in a positive light then it better be good!

Being polite, helpful and respectful to customers will help to create a favourable identity. We mean, you’re not going to shop from a brand that’s rude to customers, are you? So why would anyone shop with you if your customer service is awful? You can still be funny or use youthful slang or whatever you do that encapsulates your brand, so long as you’re giving great service. It’s a no-brainer, really!

A Fast-Paced World

Part of great social media customer service is responding quickly. People are impatient these days and there’s no chance they’re going to wait around for you to reply! In fact, 40% of customers expect a response to a social media complaint within an hour. If you don’t reply within this time? Well, it’s not going to be pretty…

Along the same lines, if they’re asking you a question about a product or service and you don’t reply in good time then you’re chance of converting them drops by the minute. That’s just not good business!

This is why you need to be totally on top of your customer service game. If you’re not organised or are too busy to respond to your audience, your online image is going to become tarnished pretty quickly and you’ll be losing valuable business.

You’re Always Being Watched

This one sounds pretty ominous – and it kind of is. Whatever you put out online is being watched and judged by your audience all the time. Even if you’re responding directly to an individual you can be sure that others will be there spying on your conversation!

So, with that in mind, you may think that ignoring or not resolving one complaint is fine because you’ll just lose one customer, but that’s definitely not the case. Every single person matters in the online world and it takes just one angry customer or poorly handled complaint to ruin a brand.

You Can’t Delete it

Once you put something out on the internet, you can’t delete it. Well, technically you can, but there’s probably already a hundred screenshots of your post and half of those are being uploaded online as we speak, so you can’t really! Be nice to your customers. Be helpful and never, ever be rude, because they never forget. Never.

Let Us Help

If this is all sounding a bit too much for you and you’re worried about slipping up and suddenly causing some catastrophic customer service disaster, don’t worry! We here at The Hive make it our number one priority to manage your social media so you don’t have to.

We’re online 24/7 replying to comments and helping your customers so that you can uphold your flawless brand identity without lifting a finger! Sound nice? Get in touch and start chatting with us today about how we can help you.