Although using social media to connect with companies isn’t necessarily new, it’s becoming more common, and for good reason. In 2015, the Aspect Index found that 32 percent of people would rather clean a toilet than contact customer service. This year that number jumped to 42 percent.
Although that seems a little over the top, when it comes to certain companies, I tend to agree. The endless loop of, “Press 1 for (insert action), press two for …” is enough to make me grab a sponge and start scrubbing.
Businesses large and small need to be prepared to communicate with customers in ways they may never have before. According to a Dimension Data report from 2015, customer-support organizations anticipate a 35 percent drop in voice interaction by the end of this year. Salesforce.com’s State of Service report expects customer service inquiries across mobile apps, mobile chat and social networks to increase more than 20 percent over the next year.
To me, these numbers add up. People want to talk to a company the way they’re most comfortable. Considering many millennials interact with family, co-workers and one another via social media, it only makes sense we’d want to connect with companies the same way.
In the last two years, I’ve joined my fellow millennials, and reached out to companies via social media.
In one experience, I posted a photo on Twitter of a Nature Valley granola bar that was partially missing when I opened the package. I tagged the company (because don’t mess with me when my blood sugar is low) and the official account sent me a tweet with a link to a customer survey within 24 hours. After I filled out the online survey, they mailed me coupons to use on my next purchase. The company’s swift and courteous service kept me as a customer.
But, another experience turned me off to a national breakfast chain. I tweeted a photo of a bug I found in my iced coffee at a local Dunkin’ Donuts, and received no response from the company. I never visited the location again, and only stop at the coffee joint when there are no other options nearby and my caffeine levels are dangerously low.
As much as I enjoy publicly complaining, it’s not the only way I use social media for customer service.
Facebook’s response-time feature, which it added to business pages late last year, lets users know how quickly a brand responds when messaged. The feature is an incentive for businesses to quickly respond, and a way for consumers to know if Facebook Messenger is a useful way to reach out to a specific brand.
Recently, I needed to know if a baseball park allowed dogs. Park representatives can often be difficult to contact, so instead of calling I searched for the park’s Facebook page. I noticed the response time was quick. I sent a direct message, and, as advertised, they responded within minutes and I had my answer without having to pick up a phone.
What all this means is that social media is even more valuable to businesses than ever before. As much as it’s branded a marketing tool, it seems using social media for customer service is becoming an essential part of making customers happy.
Learn more about making the most of your social media by calling Times-Union Media at (904) 359-4318.
