As we all know, moms are one of–if not the–most powerful shopping demographics. When it comes to social media customer service, I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I’ve used it for simple customer service questions (because it’s fast) and I’ve also used it as a last resort to get an answer (because it’s public). I also advise companies on best practices for customer service using Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.
Thus, I am in a position to share with you some tips and tricks for getting the customer service you need via social media. As moms, we’re all busy and want our issues resolved quickly. Try these the next time you have a question and you may see better results:
- Be Polite First and foremost, be as courteous as you would be in person. This doesn’t mean you need to withhold valid concerns. It simply means that if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t type it. It’s so easy to let your anger and frustration run away with you when a product or service has performed poorly. But the old adage of flies and honey definitely comes into play. And if you post publicly–remember your friends and family see that! Lastly, the person fielding your complaints is in fact a real person. Always remember that!
- Don’t Use All Caps …or foul language or post a 5,000 word rant. The more concise you are (and let’s be honest–the less crazy your post looks) the better your results will be. Rants rarely end in satisfaction and in fact, some companies have policies against answering them.
- Stick to Facts The more you stick to facts and stay away from conjecture, the more seriously and quickly someone can help you. “The cashier was rude” becomes “The cashier made a statement that his line was closed but I saw him let someone else check out.” The latter is something the company can actually check on and try to fix.
- Go Directly to Brick and Mortar Locations It’s fine, and frankly expected, to use social media for customer service. However, if your complaint is for a specific store/location/person, you may get better results by going to the brick and mortar location. If you don’t, there may be a delay. For instance, if you had trouble with a return at a single location and contact the corporate Facebook page, that means the person handling their social media will likely need to get more information from you, which they will then pass along to the store manager. It’s usually quicker to just call or go in person.
- Repeat Offender? You’re probably flagged! If you find yourself complaining on a company page quite often or you are constantly giving bad reviews on social media, odds are the companies can probably see that. Through the magic of search engines, public tagging and powerful third-party tools, we can tell if it’s your mission in life to shame companies or to try to get free stuff.
- Check For Separate Customer Service Accounts While a strong social media presence means customer concerns can be addressed anywhere, many companies have separate accounts for customer service–especially on Twitter. If you are not a Twitter user, you may want to sign up for this reason.
- Give Credit Where It’s Due In general, most of your interactions with companies are probably positive or neutral. If a company goes above and beyond, it’s nice to let them know when they do something right. You may not realize it, but that positive feedback is just as valuable to companies and helps them deliver excellent service.
- Post Directly; Don’t Comment on Every Update This is a tactic usually employed by the desperate. If their initial question or comment was not answered, many users will start commenting on Every. Single. Post. a company makes. Not only will your requests be buried, but you will likely be flagged as a troublemaker. Try again using the tips above.
At the end of the day, most companies truly want to address your concerns. While most policies dictate that all valid concerns be addressed, the tips above can give you a better chance at getting the help you need. And at the end of the day, it all boils down to respect in these interactions. If all else fails, you can explore other avenues such as email or calling the corporate office. As a last resort you may contact the Better Business Bureau.
