Why Social Media is Important for Customer Service

It’s unfortunate that many business owners ignore social media — especially Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) — and specifically when it comes to customer service.

mobile phone, customer service, messaging, social media

One of my clients opened a “rage room” in Tempe. Back when he first opened, someone wanted to book a party and had a question. The contact form on the website gave her an error message when she tried to send it. Where did she go? FACEBOOK.

She sent a message and I got the notification. I replied for her to call the owner with his number and reported the contact form error to the webmaster.

Depending on the type of business and your target market, your customer and potential customers will use social media to reach you when conventional methods (email, website, phone) fail.

The problem here is if you’re NOT monitoring your social media, you’ll never know when you get a message from a potential client! Facebook also will give you a “badge” if 90% of your average response time is less than 15 minutes. Now, I know that may be hard if you’re a solopreneur, but the point is not how quickly you respond, but that you respond within a reasonable amount of time.

My client was messaged on Twitter by one of the anchors from the local TV station wanting info on the business and on Facebook from another.

Could you be missing out on some free publicity because you’re ignoring social media?

You can’t afford to!

Here are a few points to ponder:

  1. It’s your online image. What message does it send if you haven’t posted anything on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn for months, even years? Lazy? Clueless? Behind the times?
  2. It’s where your potential customers are hanging out. Remember, they will use the network that they like and feel the most comfortable.
  3. You may be missing big opportunities. You’re not increasing your reach or influence. You’re not driving new traffic to your website. Moreover, you’re losing valuable SEO (search engine optimization).

So what do you need to do for better customer service?

social media mobile messaging customer service
  1. Learn how each of the social networks work and figure out which ones your target market uses the most. Start with the free Define Your Target Market Workbook. We could also do 1:1 training sessions or you can get my book which is a step-by-step guide to plan your digital marketing (Amazon affiliate link).
  2. Set up your social media profiles properly. Take into consideration your branding — it should be consistent throughout your website and social networks. You have 7 seconds to catch people’s attention online. Your social media cover graphics should reflect what you do at first glance. If your customers use certain networks regularly, you’ll want to set up email notifications to let you know instantly when you have a pending message. However, note that you will get spam. Unfortunately, that’s unavoidable. You need to report them and delete the message. Don’t just ignore them as they’ll keep on hitting you.
  3. Check your analytics monthly. They’ll tell you if your website traffic is increasing, if people are converting (from a visitor to a lead or a customer/ downloading / buying), and which social networks are contributing to the conversions.

No more excuses! Stop letting these customer service moments slip by!

  1. Download and set up the mobile apps for the social networks that your clientele frequents the most.
  2. Turn on notifications. Now, make sure that you set “do not disturb” parameters or set the notifications to badges and not sounds so you don’t get woken up in the middle of the night.
  3. Respond in a timely manner. Have the links to Frequently Asked Questions handy so you can just copy and paste. Even if it’s just an automatic message with your phone number or email so they can contact you. People do understand business hours. However, they do not like it when they are ignored. They’ll go elsewhere and with today’s competition, you can’t afford that.

Another Way Customers can Reach You — through Google Business Profile

You need to have a free Google Business Profile through your Google account. Here it’s through Google Chat/Messages. Google will email you when there’s a chat message.

Recently, a client had a potential customer use Google chat to ask if there was an alternate payment system to pay for an event. Had this chat not been set up, she may have lost a $600+ sale!

Google Business Profile Chat/Messages for customer services.

So, if your phone is not ringing much lately or sales are down, it may be because your customers are trying to reach you via social media and you’re not getting the messages! I can help you analyze your marketing efforts and improve your results. Let’s start with a free 15-minute phone consult.


The Blueprint: Strategies for Effective Social Media and Digital Marketing
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The Blueprint: Strategies for Effective Social Media & Digital Marketing Your Total Digital Marketing Strategy Solution!
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