Have you embraced the social customer? If not, you could be missing out on key opportunities to spread the word about the great things you have going on. Likewise, an inability to embrace this tech-savvy customer means you’re missing key channels over which to connect, build loyalty and improve brand perception.
A recent Sentiment Metrics infographic explored lessons that social customer care teams can learn from traditional customer service. Such an exercise can help contact centers identify various opportunities, pinpointing where strengths lie and opportunities for growth exist.
In the traditional setting, customers want to speak with the right person immediately. They feel frustrated when they have to repeat information, especially if they have to do it each time they are transferred. With social platforms, automation can help direct customers to the right agent or resource with the use of analytic tools that can decipher key words and phrases.
Second, spikes in call volume are common in the contact center, leading to a demand for tools that help them manage these spikes, including queues, call caps and even overflow strategies that include outsourcing. Social channels can help teams bring in back-up staff from other teams, and automation allows customer service departments to tag (News - Alert) and remove noise from the customer service queue that would otherwise keep productivity low.
Next, consumers typically want 24/7 support, yet companies often struggle to figure out how to meet this demand. Larger companies can offer round-the-clock support simply because they have the means to enable it. With social customer care solutions, however, even smaller companies can meet this need. Urgent queries captured over social platforms can be addressed quickly and automatically, delivering that real-time experience customers desire.
Fourth, organizations strive to direct callers to the same agent they’ve engaged with in the past. This can be a difficult challenge if the agent is off-duty or simply has too many callers waiting in the queue. Fortunately, social tools can automatically assign tweets to the appropriate agent in this way, assuring a consistent experience for each and every customer.
Finally, measurement of customer satisfaction has been a key focus for contact centers throughout the years. Of the top performing brands in the market, 94 percent currently monitor performance and resolution time. This is critical when it comes to the cost of customer support and the overall customer experience. Social customer care tools can cut total interaction times dramatically, while providing the same, if not an enhanced, level of customer satisfaction.
If you haven’t yet embraced social media in your contact center, it’s time to make a change.
Edited by Blaise McNamee