Fill Your Customers with Holiday Cheer – Social Media for the Holidays
How to use the power of social networks to interact with customers in a meaningful way during the holiday season.
‘Tis the season to use social media, as the popularity of sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram is skyrocketing, and consumers are increasingly expecting companies to be accessible through these channels. In fact, research from Aberdeen group shows 55% of consumers now expect companies to provide customer service through social media, while American express reports 46% have used social media to vent their frustration when companies failed to meet their needs. Don’t fall behind this holiday season by alienating your client base with out-dated customer engagement techniques. Instead, expand your use of social media using these tips in order to meet the escalating demands of doing business at the holidays.
Use social media or live chat to enhance your customer service this holiday season. With the surge of smartphones and social media channels becoming the main channel of communication for many consumers, meeting your customer on their preferred channel instead of requiring them to take the extra step of dialling in on a landline can help ensure that customers have a positive experience on their own terms.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas: Staying Available
Social media has no business hours, meaning keeping your contact centre staffed around the clock is the best way to deliver optimal customer service. If this is not possible due to budgets, make sure that your customers are aware of your hours of availability. Keep in mind that the large influx of consumer activity during the holiday season is a fantastic opportunity to engage with your existing client base as well as potential customers. Be available to respond to questions about products or services in a timely manner, letting your customers know that someone is actively listening to their concerns and preparing to respond. Remember that “customers are 150% more likely to churn if they feel ignored on social channels,” according to statistics from Planning Forum, a business insights provider. Leveraging a bilingual, third party contact centre support service that is available 24/7 can help manage increasing call volume in conjunction with the holiday consumer rush.
Have a Holly Jolly Agent: Preparing Soft Skills for the Holidays
The bustling holiday season can generate a lot of anxiety among consumers who want to ensure that their holiday goes perfectly. This can mean heightened tensions on the phones and consumers increasingly venting their frustrations on social media if their needs aren’t met in a timely manner. Prepare your agents for the holiday craze with some extra soft skills training before things hit a boiling point. With emotions at an annual peak during the holidays, it helps if agents are able to connect with customers on an emotional level both on the phones and in social media.
He’s Making a List, Checking it Twice: Holiday FAQ’s
Keep the Candle Burning: Personalizing Customer Engagement
Social media is an excellent tool for personalizing engagement with your client base. Send personalized greetings, inform them of event-specific discounts, post Instagram photos of new products on Facebook and use Twitter to direct messages to consumers. Add a bit of holiday cheer by sending e-cards to loyal customers and bolster your social media image with holiday images and themes. Engaging with your customers on a personal level can increase your client base and encourage customer loyalty.
Take Advantage of Social Proof
Social proof is when companies use their existing client base or customer reviews to develop a greater reputation, encouraging potential customers to give the business a chance. Use social media to enhance your reputation and expand your client base by adding positive Tweets from customers to your company’s website, emails and Facebook page. Consider including a social plugin like a Facebook activity feed to display the number of people who currently support your company or product.
Don’t get run over by the holiday season. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to engage with your customers in a whole new way. By integrating social media into every aspect of the customer experience, you can enhance relationships with your current customers and significantly expand your client base.
