Of all the social media channels used for customer service, Facebook maintains great popularity as a preferred channel for customer engagement. According to ZDNet, one study found Facebook to be the top customer service channel on social media.Unlike Twitter, which tends to be conversational and move quickly with limited characters, or other sites such as Instagram, which tend to focus on visuals, Facebook combines both visual and textual elements that make it easy to engage with customers in different ways with no limits to how much text can be written. With a little forethought and strategy, companies can capitalize on Facebook’s features to deliver exceptional customer service.Be quick to respond. As on any channel, it’s critical to respond promptly to customers’ messages both on the public wall and through private messages or chat. If contacted via chat, agents may already feel inclined to respond quickly, but other forms of messaging on Facebook should not be ignored. If an agent needs more time to find an answer to a customer’s question, he/she should acknowledge that the message was received and that the solution is being sought. Show your customers that you are paying attention and you care about what they think.Show the resolution to the problem. Whenever any message posted publicly on the Facebook wall is eventually moved to private conversation for better resolution, other customers may wonder if the problem was addressed. Once the issue is resolved, be sure to post a thank you to the customer on the wall where the concern was originally posted, stating that the company was happy to solve the problem. Customers will understand that your company takes the time to address each case individually and close the case in a professional manner. Also, it might be tempting to delete negative comments, but realize that leaving them in public view and showing customers your desire to address concerns is a professional way of demonstrating your brand’s faith in its own value and respect for customers’ voices.Engage your customers. One critical aspect of social media is actively reaching out to customers and asking them for their input. Encourage them to post their own text, video, and photo testimonials on the company Facebook page, and reach out to those who leave positive messages (not just customer service concerns) to extend the conversation and promote the brand’s desire to embrace their customers. Let customers feel involved with your brand and allow them to promote their loyalty.Educate your customers. Facebook is a great platform for establishing your brand and providing information to customers. The company page should feature all relevant information about the brand—a mission statement, product information, photographs and videos of products and services, and additional contact information with links to the company website are all important. But also take the time to educate your customers by providing FAQs on a separate page or tab, posting all press releases or articles about the company featured in the media, posting blog articles written by the company, and addressing upfront any issues the company may be having with products or services that might later provoke customer concerns. Customers will appreciate finding quick answers, and this can only enhance a brand’s reputation with fewer negative comments and more positive ones. Facebook is also an excellent platform for mentioning sales and any customer rewards—as well as for delivering them directly to your customers.Monitor activity with alerts and hashtags. Like Twitter, Facebook allows you to use hashtags to tag any content you create on your page, making it easy for such content to show up in Facebook searches. It’s important to use them each time you mention your brand’s name in a post, and you may also tag FAQ pages and responses to customer questions with appropriate tags such as “customer service” or the name of the product/service being discussed. In addition, Facebook allows you to set up alerts to know when other Facebook users are tagging you. For example, setting up alerts for tags such as “customer service,” a product name, or even customers’ feelings as keywords will enable your agents to better monitor which issues need to be addressed and which customers should be approached for additional support.Facebook offers excellent tools for providing excellent social customer service, and it also bears unique features that may be used strategically to deliver optimal results and actively engage customers. Learn about Vocalcom contact center solutions optimized for social customer service.
