“If you’re not talking to your consumers in the social channel someone else is,” was the powerful message said to attendees at a recent session titled “Why Social is Critical to Customer Satisfaction” at ITEXPO 2014. The session, featuring panelists Erin Avery, Senior Product Marketing Manager, BMC Software, and Lance Fried,  SVP, Social and Mobile, Five9 (News - Alert). During the session, Avery and Fried discussed the importance of using social media to improve the customer experience and boost customer satisfaction.

With 73 percent of online adults using social networking sites, your company can’t afford not to communicate with consumers via social channels. However, as Avery and Fried pointed out, implementing a social strategy can be a “daunting” task, especially as consumers have high expectations.  According to recent research, consumers who have attempted to contact a brand, product, or company through social media for customer support, 32 percent expect a response within 30 minutes and 42 percent expect a response within 60 minutes.

Despite coming off angry at times, all consumers want is help. It makes it a lot easier to provide service when you look at it that way, said Avery. When you engage with them, you can start neutralizing the situation.

Before implementing a social strategy, Avery and Fried stressed that companies must first ask themselves why they are entering the social channel in the first place and what do they want to achieve. Is it because your consumers are engaging with your company across social networks and you want to join in on the conversation? Or are you trying to gain new consumers and in turn generate more revenue? Identifying an overall goal is the first step in implementing a successful strategy.

Social media is the preferred communication channel for the majority of consumers, meaning if you’re not communicating via social media than you are missing out on opportunities to grow your business and boost your bottom line.

Don’t miss out on all of the exciting sessions, speakers, and exhibitors at ITEXPO (News - Alert) 2014. For show details, click here.