Sending a message through Facebook or LINE is so much more convenient. The expectations are equally high – excellent experience and quick replies. It is not only clients who prefer communication through SNS. It is popular among agents too. They can work on several tickets at once and return to the conversation at any time.
The covid pandemic proved a real tipping point. Social messaging for customer service appeared here and there before it, but the lockdowns and the working from home made it a staple of customer service. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of customers who identify SNS as their preferred method to contact a company more than doubled. Companies caught on, and many added at least one social channel to their customer service.
Social messaging and meaningful engagement
Quick replies and fast resolution times are not enough for a successful customer experience. Customers expect meaningful engagement with the company. Companies have the opportunity to positively impact the customer experience using modern tools and the right strategy. Enter Zendesk Messaging – a multi-platform tool that combines the best of chat and social with advanced features. A traditional support ticket, by nature, asks for a resolution. Question answered, problem solved, ticket closed.
On the other hand, Messaging gives room to establish, build, and nurture a relationship with your client. A customer will contact a company for a number of different reasons; with messaging, you can turn a simple conversation into a great customer experience – curiosity into customer loyalty.
Turn a public comment into a private conversation
Often the first point of contact between company and customer is a comment on a social media page. Usually, it will be a complaint or some problem. In the past, the best course of action was to leave a reply with the contact details of a customer service agent and ask the client to write them. The modern approach is to take the opportunity and enter into a conversation with the client. Because the client most likely will share sensitive information, such as an order confirmation number, their name, and contact information – taking the conversion off the public view and to a private area is natural. What messaging changes is how easy this transition becomes. A few clicks, and the chat begins. Because it is through SNS – a medium the customer is used to from talking to friends and family, they feel more at ease. Resolution becomes easier for everyone involved.
Individual Customer support – at a scale
We have said it before, and we will repeat it – in this day and age, the main differentiator from your competition is the customer experience. Customers value convenience and reduced effort above all. SNS is very democratic, barrier-free, and omnipresent. Everyone has a smartphone, and it is so easy to send a quick message to the company. Questions about the product? No problem. Billing issues? Just drop us a line. Concerned with the quality? Share your questions with us. Each instance becomes a one-on-one conversion and an opportunity to make your brand more human. Each conversation becomes a more personal connection.
While no one can deny the benefits of this, a common worry is that it will take up too much agent time. However, this is a misconception. The technology behind Zendesk messaging is designed to help agents increase efficiency. Using flow builder, you can set up triggers and automations to handle repetitive tasks. Meanwhile, the chatbot can take care of repetitive questions. In the end, you agents only have to deal with difficult or complex inquiries.
Meeting customers proactively
Outbound customer engagement is well underway to outnumber inbound in the near future: Using data, a business can identify opportunities and proactively reach out to customers through social networking. This strategy can effectively reduce service tickets while showing that the brand understands customer’s needs. Again Zendesk makes things simpler. Every outbound message is an opportunity for the customer to reply about any topic and at any time. Because the tool synchronizes customer data and messaging history, the support team has the context to give meaningful and impactful replies.
At the end of the day, the quality of your service and your customer experience will determine the success of your business. Social will continue to be an essential factor in business-client relationships. With tools like Zendesk Messaging, you can use the new developments in the industry and stay ahead of the game.
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