How To Provide Customer Support On Facebook
How to Provide Customer Support On Facebook
A business cannot exist without its customers, and unhappy customers will certainly not be favorable for any business. Data reveals that around 78% of consumers canceled a purchase due to poor customer service. Another statistic reveals that 94% of customers recommend a company with good customer support. These stats speak volumes about the importance of good customer service. More often than not, people think about customer service via traditional channels such as live chat, or emails. While these platforms are reliable, customer support on social media is also an ongoing requirement - and not the one to overlook. Wondering why? Stay with us to find out!
What Is Customer Support on Social Media
Customer support on social media is just what its name implies - offering customer support through social media channels. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook open a gateway for businesses to meet customers and answer their questions.
Getting in touch with your customers, knowing their problems, and trying to resolve them is the key to your business success. You can use a social media platform to monitor customer behavior and adjust your business practices accordingly. Although you can provide customer support through any social media platform, we highly recommend Facebook, and for good reasons.
Considering the social media statistics, Facebook is the most popular platform, with over 2.2 billion people using it every month. If that doesn't sound convincing enough, here's another one: A study from Accent Marketing uncovers that a whopping 82% of customers expect customer service on Facebook. Simply put, consumers expect great customer support on Facebook more than any other social media platform. So, if you're looking for ways to boost your business, providing customer service on Facebook is a must!
How to Provide Customer Support on Facebook
Because we've put a lot of emphasis on providing customer support on social media (Facebook, in particular), you might have already planned to get started. So, what's next? Knowing how to do that!
Generally speaking, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to providing customer service via Facebook. A little consistency, patience, and the right strategy are all you need to get the job done. If you want to impress both old and new customers on Facebook, buckle up, as we're about to share the secret sauce!
Create Your Facebook Business Page
The first and the most crucial step is to create a Facebook Business Page. A Facebook Business Page gives voice to your brand and builds your unique image. It's here you'll be posting updates and interacting with your customers.
But, wait, your business page shouldn't be bland-looking. Your profile picture, cover photo, and about section are the first things your customer sees as soon as they land on your website. First impressions matter, and if you build your Facebook page keeping these metrics in mind, you have the chance to make a great first impression. Avoid uploading unprofessional, poor-quality images. Instead, hire a graphic designer to design images for you or head to Canva.com and create something that matches your brand—remember, we're creating an impression before providing customer support.
Use Facebook Messenger
If there's one platform that guarantees efficient, direct, and quick communication, it's Facebook Messenger. Most customers will reach out to you through Facebook Messenger, and neglecting it will certainly not get you anywhere.
Facebook Messenger is the key to customer service on Facebook. Consider setting up a customer messenger bot to make the conversation more efficient. The bot will initiate conversations as soon as a customer sends you a message. This will keep the customer engaged till you actually reach out to them. But, wait, just because you set up a bot, it doesn't mean you have to get lazy to respond to the customer and keep them hanging with the bot. Speaking of the importance of being responsive, read ahead to the next section on how you can fix this.
Be Responsive
42% of customers expect a response within 60 minutes! The bot will probably take care of the first 60 minutes, but how long do you think a customer will wait till you actually respond to them?
We're living in a fast-paced world where everyone around demands quick responses, including your customer. Not responding on time can be a turn-off for them, and they might switch to another, more responsive brand.
So, what can you do? Use Text Blaze! With Text Blaze’s free Chrome extension, you can save pre-written customer responses as snippets of text. You won’t need to copy-paste canned responses, and you will end up saving hours of your time when multiple live customer chats pop up in Facebook Messenger. Here’s a glimpse of the Text Blaze snippet tool in action inside Facebook Messenger.
Post Updates
Customer service is not limited to responding to messages and comments. Posting the latest brand updates is also a part of customer service. Your customer expects to see updates regarding their favorite products and services or any discount or sales you'll offer. Keeping them updated will increase their willingness to buy from your brand. This, in turn, will build customer loyalty.
Track Customer Behavior
You're on Facebook to provide customer service; you're responding to comments and messages and doing all that you can to provide the best possible customer support. While such responsiveness will earn you brownie points with your customers, you also have a chance to keep an eye on your customer behavior via Facebook. What do the customers have to say about your recently launched product? How do they feel about your customer support? Which customers are happy and which ones are unhappy?
You have access to all this information and much more in the comment section of every post. You will come across a few mean comments—among many positive ones. Don’t panic, focus on the core issues that customers said in the negative comments. Enlist their concerns and work towards solving them.
Keeping track of customer behavior will essentially help you improve your customer service and tweak your business operations as per their needs and demands.
Be Professional Yet Friendly
When responding to customer comments and messages on social media, emojis and fun conversations work well; but make sure you also maintain a professional tone when doing so. Do note that a professional tone doesn't have to be dull and unexciting. You can make your customers' day by writing even a one-line shoutout that depicts gratitude or admiration towards them! This will make your customer feel valued, which may, in turn, benefit your business and its social media presence. Also, try addressing customers with their first name to increase engagement and get noticed on Facebook.
Here's an example:
- We're glad you liked our product
- Hello Smith! Super glad to know you liked our product. Thank you for the purchase!
Do you see the difference?
Your customer does not want to hear dry, automated, and robotic responses. Instead, each consumer out there seeks personalization. Even if they do not, personalization is an effective marketing tactic to boost engagement. You can use Text Blaze snippets to personalize all customer interactions on Facebook Messenger.
Your business growth lies in knowing the customer, resolving their issues, and offering the best services possible. Therefore, overlooking mean comments or being unprofessional will only be detrimental to your brand image and won't affect the customer much. So, if you come across angry comments, avoid being impulsive. Instead, deal with the customer professionally and get to know what's bothering them.
Go the Extra Mile!
We all make mistakes, and as a business owner or a social media manager, you are not an exception. If you've unintentionally done something that has upset the customer, be quick to apologize to them. Ignoring your mistakes won't take them off social media. In fact, an irritated fan/customer might spread negative news about your company.
Apologizing to a customer will humanize your company and strengthen the customer bond. Realistically speaking, they can make or break your company in split seconds. Make sure you handle them wisely, and don't be afraid to go the extra mile!
Final Thoughts
Excellent customer service has a massive impact on business growth, and there are no two ways about it. While providing support through email and phone calls is a must, customer support on Facebook is imperative, considering the vast number of people using it. Remember to ensure that support on Facebook is quick, personalized, and professional.
Information about your ideal customer, their pain points, and a lot more awaits you on Facebook. You are just one step away from it, so get started today!
Contact us if you’re interested in hearing more about our free savable text snippets and templates for customer support.
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