We’ve reached a point in the digital world where customers expect your brand to be on social media. Moreover, they expect your company to be able to deliver customer service over social media in a readily and amicable fashion. If you are unable to? Customers will flock to a company that is online.

A couple of months back we looked at the pros and cons of using social media for customer service. Let’s review them.

 

The Pros:

 

  1. Providing customer service over social media sets you apart from competitors who aren’t doing this.

  2. Responding on social media is fast and efficient.

  3. Messenger bots can give you a hand with general responses.

  4. Customer service over social media adds a personal touch to an online experience.

  5. Education and sales can be worked into your customer service strategy.

 

The Cons:

 

  1. Extra staff may be needed to handle customer service on social media.

  2. You have to be aware of what customers are saying across channels.

  3. Basic chatbots may aggravate customers rather than simplify the process.

  4. You’ll want to outshine competition also using social media for customer service.

  5. Customers may get aggravated more easily and expect instant solutions.

 

For most companies, the pros of using social media for customer service will outweigh the cons. Since more than 67 percent of customers now turn to social media for customer service, brands who offer social support will reap greater revenue growth and customer advocacy. Let’s take a look at some brands who are leading the pack when it comes to social customer service and see what we can learn from them.

 

1. Nike

 

Nike’s customer service game is on point. They have a separate account on Twitter dedicated to customer support, and it’s available seven days a week in seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, and German.

Not only is their availability and scope admirable, they respond kindly to all customer requests and concerns and make each user feel supported, as they did with Yroko Rendon here when Yroko said their app wasn’t properly tracking their running:

 

 

Lastly, despite probably having a massive customer support team, their tone is always consistent and unique to Nike. Like when they said to Yroko, “Let’s tackle this one together.”

Nike Support deals with thousands of questions on a monthly basis and you can tell their customer service staff are pros. If Nike can do a bang-up job serving a 178,000+ audience, so can your brand.

 

Lessons learned:

 

  • Be available: throughout the week and in different languages (if necessary and possible)
  • Offer timely replies that are kind and supportive
  • Always be on brand with your responses. Come up with content guidelines for your team to follow, if necessary.

 

2. Samsung

 

Shane Bennett, an avid Samsung fan, jokingly sent the electronics company a private message over Facebook asking the company for a free phone from their latest launch. To sweeten the deal, he included a hand-drawn drawing of dragon breathing fire, because how could someone say no to that? Unfortunately, his request was denied by Samsung and he was sent a crude drawing of a kangaroo riding a unicycle back.

 

social media for customer service - Samsung

 

 

 

Subsequently, Shane shared the social media message and drawing on Reddit and it went viral. In the end, Bennett got his free phone from Samsung, complete with custom breathing-dragon artwork on the back.

 

social media for customer service - Samsung

 

If Samsung were to give out a phone to every social media user that asked, they would go bankrupt. But they made an exception with Shane after the Story of the Dragon and Kangaroo went viral. Samsung demonstrated their fun side from the start, as well as their gratitude to a loyal customer.

 

Lessons learned:

 

  • Go above and beyond to create a memorable customer experience
  • Show off your brand’s personality

 

3. Cartems Donuts

 

Vancouver-based donut shop Cartems Donuts is known for its generosity on social media. When Kendell Kitt tweeted her desire for more donuts, Cartem’s tweeted back a couple hours of later (in the evening, no less) that the next one was on them! 

 

 

Let’s not forget the time one of our own CWH employees tweeted that she would sadly be missing a Cartems donut special because she was sick that day and she received this reply:

 

 

These cases demonstrate that Cartems is monitoring their channels regularly and listening to their fans. Furthermore, offering a free donut doesn’t take a big toll on their budget but is sure to leave a big smile on a customer’s face.

 

Lessons learned:

 

  • Look out for opportunities to create memorable experiences for customers 
  • Monitor social media channels regularly

 

4. Zappos

 

Zappos is so passionate about customer service that it’s in their mission statement, and their social media pages are no exception. They handle negative feedback gracefully and positive feedback gratefully. Just take a look at their response to Greg W Givens on Twitter. Their response is sincere, personal and they go the extra step of asking for the customer rep’s name so they can pass on the compliment.

 

 

Lessons learned:

 

  • Let passion shine through your messages: passion for your product or service, and passion for supporting others
  • Personalize messages, such as signing off with the initials or a name 

 

5. Spotify

 

Music streaming company Spotify is so great at customer service that they even won a Webby Award for their social media customer support. The company also prides itself in its “Random Acts of Kindness” program where they share a song or playlist dedicated to a customer based on their unique music style.

They go beyond traditional customer service with their Twitter support channel, Spotify Cares. Here they share status updates, tips and tricks, and answer customer inquiries. Sharing their status reports is a way of letting customers know everything is running fine on their end, as well as a way of being honest if something is wrong, such as here:

 

 

 

Lessons learned:

 

  • Go beyond offering customer support, offer tips and tricks that will improve the experience of using your product or service
  • Keep your followers updated about the status of your company, product, or service 
  • Create memorable experiences for customers by surprising them with something handpicked for them

 

Step Up Your Customer Service

 

Utilizing social media for customer service isn’t going anywhere, in fact, it’s only going to become more prevalent. Take note of what the above brands are doing to create exceptional customer experiences and integrate it into your own customer service strategy. If you have any memorable social media experiences with brands, tweet them to us at @cawebhosting. We’d love to hear them 🙂