Changing Dynamics and the New Rules of Customer Services

It’s not new how a company in today’s age relies heavily on Social Media for reaching out to their customers. Even if the company does not have a website, they will definitely have a Facebook page, while some establishments have more active Facebook page than a website. Though Social Media and mobile today are a great way of reaching out to wider audience and market about the company’s product and services, it can be used for one other critical aspect of business – Customer Service and Research and Development.

It is not a hidden fact that last decade saw a huge turn in the way marketing and marketing mediums adapted to Social Media to not push but pull customers. Social media too proved a more economical medium to reach out to more people. Now since we have overcome that bubble, we need to use this medium to do more for us than only marketing.

We have seen a lot of examples wherein the customer / potential finds it easier to communicate with the brand directly on Social Media sites rather than wasting time on calling on toll free numbers. In a lot of cases, we have also seen that when brands do not take these feedback seriously, they are calling trouble for themselves.

Changing Dynamics of Customer Services:

1. You are not talking to one but to many – The Company should never underestimate the power of their one tweet / post even if they are directing to one person. Reason being that it is a social forum and there are a lot of people listening. The company can use this to their advantage to gain loyalty and goodwill. While it is needed to address all feedback – negative and positive – the Company has to be very fast and proactive in their response. If they can customize their post / tweet by knowing more about the customer (from their database) it will show the followers of the brand that the company is very much aware of their needs and preferences. Rewarding can be a good form of brining customers closer to the brand. Having a tightly knit marketing and customer service can help the company maintain their positive image in the eyes of their customers. Remember: A happy customer will always bring more business for the brand.

2. ORM: Due to unforeseen circumstances, smaller mistakes can cascade into bigger ones and have a damaging effect on the brand. The very recent Maggi case can be seen as an example of it. While there were accusations on Maggi over their product, Maggi kept quiet for a disturbingly long time. The ardent consumers were looking up to the brand to defend themselves, to even say something but that didn’t happen for a long time which led to a lot of consumers losing faith in their favourite brand. It was definitely a Social Media nightmare for the company which no company want to get into as then ORM or Online Reputation Management will prove to be very expensive and lengthy for the company. While every brand should indulge in Marketing on their Social Media profiles, they should also engage in Online Reputation Management since the start and the easiest way for them would be to not over-claim and under-perform. In a bid to get more consumers, the company may sometimes want to over – claim, which is definitely not good for the company. The marketing team needs to sit with the product and the customer services team to first identify the USP of their offerings and promote the brand accordingly. The marketing team also needs to help the Customer Services team to enhance their skills to deal with frustrated customers by communicating what the issue in transparency.

3. Social Reach – It is not only the engagement on the posts which matter, but also the Social Reach / impressions of the posts. By analysing the target audience in the Social Reach for the brand, the Customer Service can tweak their methods to cater to all groups. While Social Reach may be useful mainly to marketing personnel, it can be helpful to the Customer Services team to understand the actual universe that is using the product / service of the brand and group their offerings for the groups accordingly.

4. App Only – Brands like Myntra, Jabong have gone only in an ‘App Only’ mode to be closer to the consumers. While today all brands have their apps launched for pushing sales, it is also important to note that the customer services division can make a good use of all the data that is coming, to make buying a good experience for the customer. Apps are a good way to know which section / page the customer has engaged with the most. This will help the customer services team to plan specific products or promotions accordingly.

5. Reports – Reports are important for any division. They tell you how the particular campaign / promotion is doing and weather it will be feasible to invest more in it. Same goes with Customer Services, reports from every region, across products can be studied to know which area needs more attention and which area is doing well. Report analysing will not only help the Customer Services department, but also the sales overall.

Sage CRM is one of the world leaders in improving Customer Services through CRM. From streamlining processes to identifying data, Sage CRM can help you with growth and sustainability. Also, with the backing of Social CRM, Sage is already helping brands to analyse their Social performance and increasing Customer Services efforts for the brand. To know more about effective customer services and how can marketing, sales and services be aligned to give your customer a rich experience, contact Sage Software Solutions Pvt Ltd at sales@sagesoftware.co.in or you can SMS SAGE to 56767 for a free demo and consultation.