Companies using social media for customer service include Wells Fargo, Dell, Lenovo, General Motors, and Zappos,” Pam Abbazia, manager of SEO and social media programs for Digital Brand Expressions, told CRM Buyer. “Many report that they’ve been able to reduce the size of their call center operations and have increased sales as a result of their online customer service efforts.

Social media should be approached as one way among many to engage the customer. No matter which method of engagement your company pursues, there are no shortcuts; there are only countless paths from which to choose.

As a business it is very important to be aware of how you or your representatives are using social media.

Organizations should be aware that while engaging in social media may leverage their customer service, poor customer service can now be more harmful than ever, as customers can take their grievance global and change public perception of a brand with a click of the mouse.

Customer care via social media is a viral movement — both positive and negative,

Social Media Adventures in the New Customer World

Customer Service is where trust is built and loyalty created. How promptly do you answer customer questions? How quickly do you respond to refund requests? Do you actively try to resolve customer issues in conjunction with 2Checkout’s Customer Care?

The answers to these questions can set you apart from the rest of your competition. Below are two examples of 2Checkout suppliers who have a very loyal customer base and few disputed charges.

• Fonet Global
• Hindawi Publishing Corporation

What sets both of these accounts apart is their customer service. Refund requests are often handled before the order even has a chance to bill. They handle all their issues and inquiries in a timely fashion, issue credits when warranted, and respond to 2CO inquiries quickly.  Bottom line is they are prompt, courteous, and professional.

“74% choose companies/brands based on others’ customer-care experiences shared online.”

I have to admit, I was a little surprised by this statistic. After giving it some thought, however, it really isn’t that surprising. After all, Social Media is the new version of word-of-mouth advertising. How a business responds to the needs of their customers will be talked about online, with a potential audience in the thousands.

“84% consider the quality of customer care at least sometimes in their decision to do business with a company”

This statistic was not surprising, maybe a little low in my experience. Customer Care is the way your customers connect with your company. Each call, email, chat, and visit is an opportunity for both customers and businesses have a conversation with each other. Your customers want to be heard, and your ability to listen and respond to this need will leave a lasting impression of you with your customers (and their friends, family and probably people they will never know).

“81% say blogs, online rating systems and discussion forums can give consumers a greater voice regarding customer care, but less than 33% say they believe that businesses take customers’ opinions seriously”.

Let’s look at this again… “Less than 33% say they believe that businesses take customers’ opinions seriously”. Some of this is probably an issue of perception. That is, if you cannot provide what your customer wants (a discount, an out of stock item, a refund, etc.) they may come away with the impression that you don’t care. However, I think a large part of this feeling is how we interact with our customers. Customers want to be heard, we all need to show we are listening.

Some actions you can take that shows you are willing to listen are:

1. Respond quickly – Email within 24 hours or answer the telephone within three rings.
2. Acknowledge the question or request asked – This shows you are paying attention.
3. Reply with a positive – Even if this means providing information on another product/ service that isn’t yours.
4. Be understanding – Your customer may not know exactly what it is they want/need, you can help by listening and offering suggestions.
5. Remain calm – Not every customer will be happy, calmly addressing even the most irate customer will give you a better position to listen to and address their needs.

This is not intended as an exhaustive list of tips. Actually, I’m sure you can think of a few to add. One thing to keep in mind is we are both customers and businesses. When talking with your customers, think about how you would want your issue addressed if you were the one making contact.