When small businesses think of social media, many put their focus only on achieving a high level of followers. Numbers are great, but only if they have actual value. What small businesses need to think more of is improving their services by being where their customers are. Social media can become an asset to the business, ensuring customers and potential customers with a service on their level.

Consumers use social media to vet businesses and ask for information or help. Being on top of your social networks for customer service purposes is a proactive tactic that deserves to be included in your digital marketing strategy.  Here are a few ways you can work towards providing an excellent customer service on your social networks.

Be Present

Fill your social network profiles with the correct information regarding who you are, what you provide, where you are online and how you can be contacted. Populate your profiles with posts that your customers will appreciate, enjoy or that they need. Show that your company is alive and kicking by keeping your social networks active and be ready to respond or interact.

Listen to Your Customers

Social media is the perfect place to have direct contact with your consumers. Get to know what they need, what they desire, when they want it and come up with ways of giving it to them. Listen using the analytics that are provided by the social networks along with third-party tools and look for behaviour trends. At the very least, pay attention to comments and questions and use these to create FAQ’s, status updates and articles. If one person has asked there may be many more wondering the same thing.

Embrace Bots

Bots help by always being there to respond when your social media manager and community managers is in bed or when the cry for help comes outside working hours. Set up automated responses, providing information that will direct the customer to a place with around the clock assistance, FAQs or simply inform that their queries will be dealt with as soon as possible. Don’t only rely on bots, provide real human interaction to engage with customers personally and provide a high level of service.

Social media is an excellent tool for customer services. Numbers mean nothing if you’re not providing any value or worth. Be there for your consumers, listen, share and talk. Ask us about our social media services and how we can help populate your social networks with content by calling 01905 27007.