Whether your contact centre processes orders, resolves issues or provides information, it is all about engaging with your customers and delivering a good experience which will contribute to converting them and cultivating brand loyalty.

However, it is well known that only a fraction of your customers will contact you through traditional methods to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and to find out what the rest thinks, companies used to have no choice but to conduct expensive market research, or stay in the dark.

Social media platforms have been a dramatic game changer. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how you manage them. But one thing is for sure, this is how people want to communicate nowadays, and this is where you will find your customers.

Here are a few reasons why you should listen to social media:

  • Social media allows you to tap instantly into the wishes and feedback of your audience. No need for costly market research, this valuable information will come to you, potentially signalling new trends, alerting you to problems with your products or services and giving you the chance to rectify issues promptly before your reputation is compromised.
  • Social media is public, and that is definitely a two-edge sword. On the one hand, positive interaction will be a good PR exercise and will demonstrate your commitment to customer service. On the other hand, negative comments will spread like bush fire through the digital social sphere and can damage your brand. The key is to never ignore messages specifically addressed to your business, as unanswered posts never fail to create disgruntled customers.
  • Customers who have the option to communicate with businesses through social media report higher levels of satisfaction and are likely to spend more money.

So, in this new landscape, what is the role of contact centres? They still remain an essential part of your infrastructure and are irreplaceable, but research shows that customers want to have more channels through which to contact businesses, and what the customers want, the customers must have!

It is crucial that businesses see social media platforms as an integral part of their communication strategy, and invest training and human resources to the same level as for their other marketing channels. Unfortunately, there is still a certain reluctance among companies to embrace them, and social media is all too often an after-thought, hindering businesses from realising their full potential.