In this digital age, social media has become an essential tool for small businesses to reach and connect with their ideal customers. We focus on it fairly frequently at Flourish because it’s a great cost-effective tool to market your business! But social media marketing shouldn’t stop at your weekly sales post; Social media should also be used as a customer service tool. Just like you can comment on a friend’s post or send them a message, your followers can do that on your business page. Did you know 1 billion messages are exchanged between people and businesses every month on Facebook Messenger? How long has it been since you checked your company’s DMs?

Here are some ways social media makes an effective customer service tool:

1. Quick Response Time. When a potential client reaches out to you via social media, they expect a quick response. In fact, 42% of customers expect a response within 60 minutes of launching complaints on social media. By resolving their issues in real-time, you show your customers that you value their time and their concerns. In order to avoid missing them, turn on your notifications for these messages. This may mean facing the dreaded buzzing phone, but it’s certainly worth it for the opportunity to turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.
2. Personal Touch. Sometimes when people are communicating over phone or email they can get fairly formal. Social media, however, provides a unique opportunity for you to engage with your customers in a personal and friendly manner! One of the quickest ways to build trust in your business is to show the human side of things, and social media is the perfect medium to add that personal touch.
3. Increase Your Reach. Great customer service, no matter where it’s received, makes people want to share their experience. If they had that positive experience on social media, they’re more likely to share their experience there. This can lead to a snowball effect, where one positive experience leads to more visibility. All of this is increased potential for sales.
4. Cost-Effective. Compared to more traditional methods of customer service like phone and email, social media is more cost-effective. Even if we took potential customer service employees out of the picture, you’re saving money by simply checking your Facebook messages every now and then rather than taking chunks of time out of your day by answering the phone. And as they say, time is money.
5. Improved Customer Satisfaction. In this era of instant gratification, a quick response is crucial to someone’s experience. We just can’t wait a day or two for an email response. Through social media, you’re also able to be more personal and concise with your customers, which will give them the positive experience everyone is hoping for. In fact, 69% of US Facebook users who message businesses say it makes them feel more confident about the brand.
6. Repeat Questions. Social media can also be a great place to receive feedback! If you’re getting comments or messages regularly asking the same questions, that’s a good sign you need to provide resources for people to find that information. Go to the About section or your bio on your page and find a place to answer that question!

Long story short, if your social media inbox is full, it can only benefit you to set some time aside to address those questions and potential concerns. In fact, why don’t you take 10-15 minutes every day to check those DMs? If you can respond to those followers within a short time frame, you may just be able to turn those hard-earned followers into ROI. And while we want to emphasize that social media isn’t a sales tool, we do love when followers are converted to long-time clients. And if you’re having trouble turning your social media pages into something that encourages people to message you and comment on your posts, we’re here to help! Whether that means helping you set up a plan for your social media or taking over the day-to-day posting, we have the perfect solution for you. Check out our website to schedule a consultation!