Since social media arrived on the internet scene it has been changing the way businesses and customers interact — and the push for change has come largely from customers.
Already interacting with friends and managing their personal and professional lives on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest, younger consumers have grown unwilling to step back into the seemingly slower world of email and phone calls, at least for casual contacts. “It if can’t be typed or texted, it’s not worth my time,” seems to the prevailing sentiment.
Embrace the Social Revolution
To keep up with their customers, smart business owners are moving their customer service departments onto social media. Leading companies that are already reaping rewards after targeting their marketing programs to social media consider social media-driven customer service the next logical step in meeting customers on their preferred turf.
Industry watchers believe that we may be moving toward full integration of corporate marketing and customer service programs which social media have made increasingly complementary. To many, it seems only natural that customer service, with its focus on customer maintenance and brand enhancement, be redefined as a primary function of marketing, which focuses on brand enhancement and customer acquisition.
Social Media as a Customer Service Tool
To succeed as a customer service tool, customer service must adopt social media best practices which are not actually that different from the customer service best practices already in place. As noted on Forbes.com, gaining a reputation for exceptional customer service on social media requires that responses to customer questions be fast, thoughtful, unfailing, effective, shared and rewarding.
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