4 Great Examples of Social Media as an Effective Customer Service Tool

Great-Examples-of-Social-Media-as-an-Effective-Customer-Service-Tool

Customer service defines a brand, as it can make or break your business. If you want to establish your brand as trustworthy and reliable, it’s important to provide exemplary customer support services.

The increasing popularity of social media has given businesses a great opportunity to reach their customers where they’re at in real time. Today, social media plays an important role in the customer service industry.

Social media is a channel for people to express their feelings, thoughts, and opinions. It’s where they can freely share their experiences. Today, it’s common for people to use social media to share their views about a product or service and seek help or assistance. According to a J.D. Power study, 67% of consumers have used a company’s social media platform for customer service.

Brands that are effectively using social media as a customer service tool gain a competitive advantage. Check out how these top brands won over their social media customers.

1.     Zappos.com

Great Examples of Social Media as an Effective Customer Service Tool

Zappos is an online retailer based in Nevada that has mastered the art of social media customer service. Zappos has a 100% response rate across all their social media accounts, as they normally reply within 20 minutes, if not instantly. But what stands out about their customer service is how they treat every single customer like they’ve been friends for a long time.

Just check out one of their recent interactions with a customer on their Facebook page after they posted a photo of their new stock. They respond to each comment, and they’re not afraid to get personal. This clearly shows how Zappos values all their customers. It’s no wonder people stay loyal to their brand!

And, they’re just as personable and endearing on Twitter!

Zappos has also been known to go above and beyond for their customers. In 2009, a customer reached out because her favorite pair of shoes is no longer in stock. So, Zappos went to a nearby mall, bought them for her, and hand-delivered them to her hotel.

Two years later, they overnighted a pair of shoes to the best man in a wedding and gave him a full refund after the courier failed to deliver it on time.

Obviously, these kinds of customer service cost Zappos, but it doesn’t compare to the positive feedback and life-long customers they’ve gained.

2.     Starbucks

Harvesting new ideas from your own customers is a great way to create a new product that sells. Starbucks effectively used Twitter as a listening tool by creating a special Twitter account where customers can post comments and suggestions.

@MyStarbucksIdea launched in 2008 and has since received 210,000 unique ideas from consumers. Over 300 ideas have come to fruition, and Starbucks customers are still excited about posting ideas.

My Starbucks Idea demonstrates that the brand genuinely wants to hear what their consumers think and that they’re proactively making ways for people to reach them conveniently.

Just this June, they have moved the Starbucks Idea platform to a dedicated website where customers can send their comments and ideas. However, the new platform seems to prevent other users from seeing other posted ideas. How will Starbucks address this?

3.     Xbox

Xbox created a separate Twitter handle in 2009 for customer service so they can provide real-time support to gamers and users. Because of their excellence in customer service, Xbox Support landed in the Guinness World Records as the most responsive brand on Twitter!

They’ve sent over 2.88 million tweets to date with 980,000 followers. You can see from their tweets and replies page that they do respond to queries in a timely manner. For more complicated concerns, they politely ask their customers to send them a DM with screenshots.

With 27 people solely assigned to manage their Twitter accounts, you can say that Xbox is truly dedicated and committed to social media customer service.

4.     HubSpot

HubSpot just created their Twitter Support Fam just three years ago, but to date, the inbound marketing pros have nailed the social media customer service game. Their Twitter lines are only open from 9 am GMT to 5 pm EST, but during the 2015 Thanksgiving, HubSpot went the extra mile for a client.

A HubSpot customer based in London was having trouble with her workflows and was trying to reach the US-based call center but to no avail. It was Thanksgiving, and naturally, the call center was closed for the holiday. After tweeting about her concern, an Ireland-based customer service representative got in touch with her.

HubSpot Support makes themselves available to customers. Being a global brand, they understand that they have customers from all over the world who may not follow the same working hours or holidays as they do. When one line of communication isn’t available, they make sure that customers can reach them through another. Check one of their most recent customer interactions.

Be Where Your Customers Are

Despite approximately 70% of the world’s population now with a mobile phone, staying on hold for a long time to get in touch with a customer service representative is very inconvenient. People want convenient solutions, and they want it immediately.

Social media customer service is a great opportunity for brands to show their customers that they care. Be where your customers are and make it easy for them to reach you.

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