Social media as a customer service platform

Social media can be a useful customer service platform, when used well.


Social media has been used as a customer service platform by several companies, some willingly and some less so.

Good customer service is the cornerstone of any successful online marketing business, and with more and more brands embracing social media to interact with consumers, it is important to know how your brand should be using social platforms to deal with customer queries and problems. While social media is helpful for its immediacy and ease of access, it can also be quite daunting due to its size and how easy it is to make a faux pas.

Social media brand voice

It is important to establish a brand voice that echoes throughout all of your digital marketing platforms. This could involve a style or tone that you believe encapsulates the ethics of your brand. If you do this correctly, your followers will respond positively to your style and react accordingly. You have to be adaptable, though. You can’t persevere with a chirpy and cheerful brand voice if a customer comes to you with a serious complaint.

London Midland trains uses Twitter as its customer service platform and keeps customers updated when there are issues.

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@LondonMidland explain who is looking after the network and allow staff to show humour:

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As a contrast, British Airways enjoys sharing anonymous weather reports with its customers! Does this mean it’s wet inside the airport?
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Knowing when to take it private

While interacting publicly shows great transparency in your business, sometimes it is wiser to save face and instead message the customer privately, particularly if you know that you are at fault.
Facebook recently introduced a feature to pages that allows admins to message the user directly with reference to the comment they’ve made. This ensures that any complaints handling can be done succinctly and privately, which you’ll find is probably the preferred option for both parties.

Endorsements are free advertising

While you can spend thousands on advertising and promoting your business and its many products and services, there are no more effective forms of online marketing than a genuine endorsement. If a customer tells you of a positive experience they’ve had when dealing with your business, share it to the world and don’t be shy in letting people know of the success your brand is experiencing. You could also thank customers for their positive comments by offering them a unique discount code, which will all but guarantee a repeat purchase.
Do remember your brand values and be consistent! Whether that’s professional or playful and ensure all staff are aware of the impact of online word of mouth.

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