Many organisations have been faced with exponential increases in customer service demand over the past few weeks. With 71% of customers being more likely to recommend an organisation that provides excellent social media customer service, there’s never been a better time to ensure you’re still meeting customer expectations.
We’ve rounded up our top five tips to ensure your customer service team is on the top of their social media game during the current pandemic!
Prioritise Social Media Customer Service
While everyone is stuck at home during the lockdown, social media usage has exploded across all demographics. This has led to more customers contacting an organisation through social media channels, meaning customer service teams are having to direct more attention to social media. When handling a social media query costs, on average, £2 less than a phone query, it’s not only great for your customers but also for your budget.
If you need to, you can upskill other team members to meet the increased demand on social media; check out our top tips for successful upskilling.
Keep Your Team Engaged While Working From Home
To be able to best meet the needs of your customers, your team needs to stay updated and engaged while working from home. Set up dedicated internal channels like Slack to keep your team communicating and collaborating with each other. Ensure your customer service team are one of the first to hear about organisation news, so they have the most up-to-date information to relay back to customers.
Keeping your customer service team updated and engaged in the organisation is critical to delivering the best service to your customers, during a time when many will be frustrated and uncertain.
Audit Your FAQs
The best way to deal with increased customer enquiries is to streamline processes that save the agent time while satisfying your customers. Many organisations have a “knowledge base” or FAQ section on their website, so go back and refine it to add common questions. It’s also a good idea to add a specific COVID-19 part, so customers know that the information is up-to-date and relevant.
By having comprehensive FAQs, customers can find the information they need without needing to contact the customer service team, saving you time.
Encourage Agents to Go Above and Beyond
Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, organisations will be remembered for how they treated their customers at a time when they needed you the most. Encourage your customer service team to go above and beyond for your customers to make sure their query is handled quickly and effectively, and your customers feel valued.
Everyone needs a bit of positivity at the moment, and there’s nothing better than going the extra mile to make a customer feel special. The British Retail Consortium is also celebrating these acts of outstanding customer service.
Along with @BBCSounds the BRC are celebrating the hard work of retail workers up and down the country. Meet Kathryn, a #RetailHero going the extra mile during the #coronaviruscrisis. #BBCsingalong @ZoeTheBall @laurenlaverne @gregjames
üëâ https://t.co/2aEDhVB4d9 pic.twitter.com/Lgkrp2cFBl
— The British Retail Consortium (@the_brc) May 7, 2020
Be Honest and Proactive With Customers
While workforces may be reduced and supply chains are disrupted, it can be difficult to give customers a definite answer to their queries. However, by posting regular updates on social media channels, even when there is no news, your customers will be more understanding and patient.
This will also reduce the number of inbound messages you receive, saving your customer service team valuable time. It pays to be proactive with your updates!
Although times are challenging for customer service teams across many organisations, meeting customer expectations doesn’t have to be complicated. The current pandemic can be an excellent opportunity to fine-tune your customer service and innovate beyond COVID-19!
The pandemic has already taught customer service teams some vital lessons, with many more to come. Want to see what’s next for customer service comms? Check out our webinar to see why serving instead of selling is the key to surviving in a post-coronavirus world!
