When I recently needed technical support for my new smartphone, I didn’t write a lengthy email to the manufacturer or spend an eternity waiting on the phone with the hopes of eventually contacting a call center. Instead, I sent out a simple tweet to the rockstars at T-Mobile, and their friendly and knowledgeable customer service team kicked into overdrive to evaluate and solve my problem in no time. When it was all said and done, I had a fully functioning phone, a deep respect for T-Mobile’s high-end customer service skills, and was left wondering why more brands don’t take advantage of Twitter to provide instantaneous, expert customer service. The core basics of Twitter-based customer support are easier to understand and implement than you may think, so let’s get take a closer look:
Actively Search For Curious Tweets
Perhaps the best reason Twitter should be your primary hub for online customer service, is how quickly you are able to respond to an incoming question. Since you always receive a notification whenever someone tags you in a tweet, it’s impossible to miss incoming inquiries, and it’s in your best interest to reply to questions and concerns as quickly as possible- especially if it was tweeted during business hours!
It’s easy to go just a little out of your way to score major brownie points with confused, misinformed, and disgruntled Twitter users who are talking about your brand. Simply perform a search for as products, services, or events relating to your brand, and if you discover someone in need of a gentle correcting, much-needed answer, or a high-fiving for being a fan, this is your chance to chime in and make their day! This is an excellent method of demonstrating that your brand actively and genuinely cares about its social media community, so stay proactive about offering to help on Twitter whenever you can.
Here at Sociality Squared, we use Sprout Social in addition to natively checking Twitter to monitor and engage. Sprout Social allows us to set up keyword searches, never miss a mention or DM with their Smart Inbox, and provide exceptional customer care by being able to tag, filter and mark Tweets complete to track progress. All of our clients get access to Sprout Social’s tools when they work with Sociality Squared.
Show Twitter How Much You Care
Going the extra mile to deliver premier customer service on Twitter is fairly easy if you remember the Golden Rule: Tweet unto others, as you would like to be tweeted to. Outside of speedily and accurately presenting the all-important answer for a curious tweeter, it is important to be personable, knowledgeable, and to have a little fun while you’re at it. For instance, if you’ve just solved a customer’s pressing issue, and they’re singing your praises in 240 characters or less, feel free to reply with a light-hearted “You’re welcome!” tweet decorated with brand-appropriate GIFs, images, and emojis as you see fit.
Showing that you actively care about your customers isn’t limited to the ones that say nice things, as the ones who claim that you suck obviously need some love too. If you find that someone is sharing their negative opinion about something linked to your brand, and it doesn’t seem like they’re simply a nasty troll, why not offer them a helping hand by inquiring how you could solve their problem, or ask them to send you a direct message with the hopes that you can make everything better? Be warned that this technique won’t always sooth the savage twitter user, but even if you don’t convert someone into loving your brand, your efforts will clearly demonstrate to everyone paying attention that at the very least, you are one of the good guys, and that you’re doing your best to make as many twitter users happy as possible.
The Value of Direct Messages
Finally, the greatest tool in any Twitter-based customer service representative’s arsenal is the direct message, or “DM.” If you encounter someone who needs more help than a simple and direct tweet will allow, ask them to send you a DM so you can help them in greater detail and in private. Not only does taking inquisitive tweeters behind the curtain via a series of direct messages keep your Twitter timeline from getting bogged down in a series of back-and-forth tweets that will only be useful to a single user, the private forum allows you to delve deeper into the issue by gathering important material that may be needed to solve the issue, such as a password, address, phone number, or other sensitive user information. Once everything is resolved, feel free to publicly reach out to them one more time with a cheerful announcement such as “We’re so glad that we could sort that out! Have an awesome day!” not only to give the person that you helped some additional encouraging closure, but to once again showcase to everyone just how much you appreciate those who look to you for assistance.
Millions of people use Twitter every day, and it’s extremely easy to find the ones who are talking about your brand so it’s imperative to provide customer service on Twitter.
