Taking Control of Social Media Customer Service

Here’s the good news. Social media provides a multitude of easy, online ways to connect to customers and provide fast customer service. Now for the bad news…well, it’s about the same. The multiple social media sites and apps available on your laptop, iEverything, and smartphone make it easy to connect with customers and gather feedback. The problem is, who’s paying attention? How does a company effectively monitor multiple communication avenues and efficiently serve customers?

A company called Modcloth found themselves in exactly that dilemma. This retro clothing company had the happy problem of success and rapid growth. They had a lot of high-tech resources and systems, but as they grew, things got complicated. 

In an article in Inc., “Fix Your Customer Service,” by Jessica Stillman, Modcloth’s customers used the company’s social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and email to post comments and complaints. However, as Modcloth grew, it was tough to keep pace with the number of posts and even more difficult to track performance and effectiveness. Without statistics, the company couldn’t tell who was taking care of customers and through which channel. Their 62-person customer service team needed help.

Modcloth, the article points out, isn’t unique in trying to keep up with social media requests. A study by A. T. Kearney, reported that, in 2011, 56 percent of the top 50 brands didn’t respond to a single customer comment! While companies may have a vibrant Facebook page, they were missing the intent of Facebook as a tool for interactive dialogue. This high-tech tool was no better than a voice mailbox clogged with unanswered phone messages. The response rate was worse for Twitter. Seventy-one percent of Tweets posted went unanswered.  The study showed that 55 percent of customers expect  a same-day response. While social media is supposed to improve communication and response time, it turned out to be a high-capacity way to ignore customers.

Modcloth found a solution in customer service tracking software. After doing some research, they settled on a cloud-based software called Zendesk that allows them to collect and analyze data, customize responses and produce reports. The software has enabled them to reduce first-response time and improve productivity. The improved reporting has helped track performance and recognize employees for measureable improvements and results. 

Like many other companies, Modcloth had a strong online presence, but needed help understanding the social media side of the business and how to use it for customer service. They use a product called Sprout Social, a social media management tool that provides data, reports and easy updates to social media sites. 

Companies can take a lesson from Modcloth’s experience with social media to set up systems and find tech solutions applicable to their particular business, goals and company values. As companies use social media for customer service, they’re finding it isn’t enough to have a great presence with thousands of hits a day. Customer service reps need tools and training in order to handle the potentially huge volume of customer inquiries and complaints through multiple sites. Companies need to take a look at procedures and adjust performance standards to realistically reflect the impact of social media response rates and times. Instead of just another way to ignore customers and delay response, customer service processes will have to include a social personality to their online presence.

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