Make no mistake: customers are indeed demanding two-way brand communication and customer service on social channels. True, some are not yet using it as an end-all, be-all alternative to calling a contact center for support, but the idea that organizations face no urgency to serve customers through social has fast become a fantasy of inertia.
"We’re seeing a lot of demand for customer service across social channels," explains Duke Chung, co-founder of Parature, in this exclusive Customer Management IQ "Customer Creation" podcast series. "That’s where everybody is going to find information, that’s where everybody is going to network with others, and now people are realizing that these are incredible channels to connect with the brands."
He adds, "[Customers are] very comfortable asking questions, specifically customer service questions, right on these channels."
As a result of this very real and very pronounced demand for social customer service, brands have to assure they are meeting these newfound expectations for digital interactions between a customer and the service provider.
One pivotal challenge facing social brands is the expectation that issues will be resolved instantly.
"When someone posts a question on a Facebook or Twitter feed, they expect an instant response. We think a lot of this consumer behavior is transferring over to expectations around customer service being handled the same way in social channels. It’s something we call hyper-responsiveness," explains Chung.
Other focuses include properly tailoring a response for public consumption, mobilizing users to serve as "brand ambassadors" and assist in the customer service process and proactively addressing complaints before they escalate.
How do you overcome these challenges? How do you deliver the social experience customers want? How do you measure it? And how do you transform your contact center—and arm your agents—to accommodate the rise of social service?
Duke Chung has the answers in this exclusive podcast.