According to one recent study, a massive 80% of consumers say that they regularly use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to interact with the brands they know and love. When you also consider the fact that literally 45% of the planet’s population has at least one social media account, it’s easy to see why this is one communications channel you can never pay too much attention to.
But one of the most important trends in social media to be aware of has less to do with which sites people are using and is more about how they’re choosing to use them. More and more, people are seeing your social feeds as legitimate extensions of your customer service operations. They’re more than willing to take to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites with questions and concerns and it’s up to you to address them.
According to another recent study, roughly 60% of consumers who express some type of concern or criticism on social media say that they expect the associated brand to respond in as little as one hour. Not only that, but 54% of consumers say they actually prefer social media customer service to picking up the phone or sending an email.
All of this is to say that if you’re only using your social feeds to blast out the occasional advertisement or if you see it as strictly a marketing channel, you’re really only unlocking a fraction of its full potential. Your customers want you to engage with them on these platforms and in these ways – if you don’t, they’ll run straight into the arms of competitors who do.
Plus, when you consider that solving a customer problem on social media is approximately 83% less expensive than addressing the same situation via a call center, it’s easy to see why this is one trend that you’ll definitely want to lean into moving forward.
If you’d like to find out more information about the convergence of social media and customer service, or if you’d just like to speak to someone about your own needs in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact eXpect3 today.