Customer service – Lanka Talents

Gunathilake can be next Sangakkara – Afridi

Lanka Talents Creation — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 09:30:26 +0000

Danushka Gunathilaka smashed an unbeaten 94 runs from 66 balls including 12 fours & 4 sixes while chasing 127 runs against Kandy Tuskers today.

Galle Gladiators achieved the target with 3 overs to spare with only losing 1 wicket securing the final semi final spot of Lanka Premier League eliminating Kandy Tuskers.

Galle’s hero Danushka Gunathilake had a remarkable season with the bat with scoring over 450 runs with 4 half centuries in 8 games.

Galle Gladiators regular skipper Shahid Afridi who left the tournament midway due to personal reasons had a lot of praise to his opening batsman.

“Brilliant performance by Gunathilaka 👏 Congratulations to my team Galle for reaching the semi-finals. Gunathilaka can be the next Sangakkara for SL, a great talent indeed.” he tweeted.

The post Gunathilake can be next Sangakkara – Afridi appeared first on Lanka Talents.

10 Companies That Totally Rock Customer Service on Social Media

Buddhika Perera — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 08:20:04 +0000

The way you interact with customers can truly make or break your business, whether it’s in person or online. The internet has provided another outlet to build your brand – your logo, tagline, products, etc. – that customers can engage with.

The increase in businesses’ technological use has created a necessity for digital marketing. It has also provided a way for you to extend your customer support beyond a phone call. If you establish a social media presence, that will allow you to respond almost immediately to any customer questions or concerns. It’s important to determine a social media strategy for how and when you will respond to customers, and what to do if you receive negative feedback. Your business’s reputation rides heavily on how you interact with customers.

Facebook pages and Twitter accounts can be a great place to not only share content, but to make a platform where your customers and readers can feel comfortable reaching out to you (whether what they have to say is good or bad), knowing that they’ll get a response.

Not sure where to start? These 10 companies do a great job of managing customer service on their social media accounts. Follow their lead, and you’ll be rocking social media in no time.

1. Relevance

To maintain your brand, you should keep your social media consistent. This way, customers can visit any social media platform and easily recognize your business. Since your customers use this channel to engage, it is crucial to post content that is relevant to them. On your social media channel, you can provide information relevant to customers, directing them to certain departments, staff members or webpages.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock does a great job of sharing engaging and relevant posts on Twitter – especially photography – but the stock image company’s social media presence is more than just a feed of clickable content. Shutterstock’s social media team makes it a point to interact with others who share relevant content, and it handles both negative and positive feedback quickly and with grace (and even a sense of humor when appropriate).

Shutterstock also lets users know what department the company is sending their feedback to, so they know they’re contributing to change. For example, in instances when users find mistakes in photos, Shutterstock’s social media team responds and then passes the information on to the artists so the images can be fixed and resubmitted. The company has also been known to respond to users with amusing stock images, the way other Twitter users might share GIFs or memes.

Editor’s note: Looking for help with your business’s online marketing services? Use the questionnaire below to have our vendor partners contact you with free information.

Monitoring hashtags (#businessnewsdaily) and mentions (@BNDarticles), you can track how often customers talk about your business and engage online. You can also search for relevant keywords, which allows you to track customer responses that are not tagged.

JetBlue

JetBlue understands how important it is not only to engage with happy customers, but to quickly problem-solve and respond to customers who are dissatisfied with their service. Sure, it’s easy to share good feedback on your page, but a few wrong moves can do serious damage. JetBlue makes it a point to respond not just to customers who @mention them, but to customers who talk about the brand in general but didn’t tag it in the post. This means that the company’s social media team is likely tracking and monitoring keywords and relevant hashtags as well, so they can find and respond to more customers – a key strategy that every company should be using. [Related: How to Use Social Media for Customer Service]

3. Responding to customer feedback

Customers have the opportunity to tweet out their personal experiences with a company, leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram, and even send direct messages on any of the platforms. It’s important to acknowledge every customer’s feedback, whether it’s positive or negative. You want to create an online community where customers feel valued and cared for. This is done by responding to the customer with information that either answers their questions and concerns or directs them to the person or place that can best serve them.

Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert, reported that 42% of consumers expect a response within 60 minutes and 32% expect a response within 30 minutes. Responding as soon as possible will increase the chances of a positive customer experience. If a customer has a negative experience with a company, the word spreads quickly. A customer can post a bad review, recommend a competing company’s products and services, and complain about the company on all social media platforms. So, it is crucial for you to respond in a respectful and timely manner.

Another challenge that comes with customer feedback is knowing whether a concern should be addressed publicly or privately. Some companies tweet or comment back to customers, while others use direct messages (DMs) to get in contact. According to brand agency FreshSparks, you should determine which posts should be considered a public matter and which require a private reply. The private reply could take the form of a DM, a phone call or an email.

When dealing with direct messages, you should respond to each one, even if it requires you to do some research or it’s about how a customer now understands how to navigate your website. Even if your reply is as simple as “Thank you!” or “Glad we could help,” it’s important to keep your response rate high.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is known for engaging with customers across its social media platforms, and for having a pleasant and personable social presence. A 2012 study by social media insights company Socialbakers showed that T-Mobile responded to 86% of the questions it received on social media (over 2,500) over a three-month period. This means that T-Mobile makes it a point to respond to the majority of the customer inquiries it receives.

The mobile phone carrier is also known for taking advantage of its social media fan base when it comes to searching for new employees, taking T-Mobile’s social presence far beyond simple customer service. Also, members of T-Mobile’s social media team sign their Twitter replies with their names, letting customers know they’re talking to a real person.

Nike

With more than 4 million followers on Twitter, to say Nike has a huge social following is an understatement. The company recognizes just how important customer service is, especially on social media, which is why it created a separate Twitter account just for responding to customer inquiries and issues: @NikeSupport. Nike Support is dedicated to all things customer service, making it easier for customers to reach out when they have a problem or question. Nike Support is very active and, like other companies with great social media customer service, quick to respond. If you look at the account’s Twitter feed, you’ll see replies every few minutes. This shows customers that they can trust Nike to provide them with the help they need when they need it.

Spotify

As one of the leading music streaming services, Spotify is tasked with providing top-notch customer care. According to Dan Gingiss, chief experience officer of Winning Customer Experience, Spotify is “really protective of tone of voice,” which is something it monitors often. Anyone interested in working in social media customer service for Spotify “must submit to multiple writing tests and have high quality scores from their email work before being considered.”

Its Twitter support account, @SpotifyCares, has a timely response rate and updates its followers with information about common issues. It even has another account, @SpotifyStatus, that updates followers on the current status of Spotify. With these accounts, followers have multiple places to turn for assistance. Also a part of Spotify’s customer care is what it calls its Random Acts of Kindness, which is when it surprises customers by sharing a song or playlist based on their individual music interests. Spotify aims to keep its customers happy, and what better way to do that than to share music they like?

Xbox

Xbox may be all about gaming, but the company doesn’t play around when it comes to its social media strategy. In fact, Xbox (which also has a separate Twitter account for customer service purposes, @XboxSupport) holds the Guinness World Record for most responsive brand on social media – yes, that’s a thing now. Xbox’s Twitter team really knows what they’re doing. In the account’s “about” section, Xbox clearly lists the hours during which the team is available to respond so that users know when they’re more likely to get an answer. With nearly 2 million tweets sent out to date, there’s no question that this brand takes pride in its quick and efficient response times. But just because Xbox Support is efficient doesn’t mean it’s not fun too. The Twitter team knows how to be friendly and helpful in tandem.

4. Customer engagement

Want more people talking about your business? Want to get more reviews? A great way to engage customers on social media is providing calls to actions, inviting them to provide feedback through online surveys, and even tweeting out discounts and promos.

AirAsia

Airlines are no stranger to customer complaints, so it may come as a surprise that AirAsia (and JetBlue) made this list. However, AirAsia’s Facebook presence is outstanding, and the company goes the extra mile to reply to as many comments as it can – and, with close to 3 million likes, that’s a lot to keep up with. AirAsia responds to customer inquiries with helpful links and advice, and it’s always friendly and personable in its replies, whether it’s the middle of the workday or the middle of the night. The company also runs a lot of fun promotions, like its Free Seats Challenge, which gives 12 winning customers a year’s worth of free seats on flights.

Seamless

If you’re not already following Seamless on Twitter, you should change that right away. The popular online food service company has one of the best social media strategies out there. Seamless’ Twitter account is fun, amusing and foodie-friendly, sharing everything from mouthwatering food photography to hilarious food puns and memes. The company also frequently shares discount codes on its feed.

Beyond that, Seamless has a stellar customer service strategy and is very quick to respond to complaints or website errors. Your lunch order is an hour late? Not to worry – tweeting at Seamless will almost always garner a response, and the company will help you figure out where your food is as soon as it can. Website down? The company’s social media team lets all of Twitter know when it will be back up, or at least that they’re working on it as fast as they can. If you have positive feedback to share, Seamless will also respond with a great sense of humor – it’ll probably even follow you back.

Starbucks

Starbucks knows how to rock both Facebook and Twitter for customer service. The coffee giant is active and quick to respond to customer questions and complaints on its Facebook page, and it’s engaging and fun with its customers on Twitter too. Starbucks knows when to bring the personality to its replies and when to hold back and be professional, showing customers that the brand is both personable and dynamic. Like Nike, Starbucks started a separate Twitter account called @MyStarbucksIdea as an additional way to engage with customers. This account, while less active than Starbucks’ main Twitter account, is a place where customers can submit and discuss ideas to make Starbucks better.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods’ Twitter presence is truly one to admire. The company shares everything from healthy recipes to relevant news stories, and it hosts Twitter chats too. Even with nearly 4 million followers, the company manages to respond to Twitter users in a fast, fun and friendly manner. Whole Foods also knows how to get its followers talking about the brand on social media – it frequently sends out calls to action, asking Twitter users interesting questions or encouraging them to share recipes or pictures.

Additional reporting by Brittney Morgan.

The post 10 Companies That Totally Rock Customer Service on Social Media appeared first on Lanka Talents.

How to Use Social Media for Customer Service

Lanka Talents Creation — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 06:06:09 +0000

Social media offers a way to provide great customer service around the clock.

Social media can be a great customer service tool.
By handling customer complaints and concerns on social media, you’ll show other customers how dedicated you are to keeping them satisfied.
There are many ways to use social media for customer service, such as including hashtags strategically and setting up a separate handle for customer service support.
This article is for business leaders who are looking to use social media to improve their customer service efforts.

Social media is an essential marketing tool for modern businesses, but it can also elevate companies’ customer service. To benefit from this strategy, however, you have to do it well; if you don’t manage your social media presence carefully, it can damage your brand and drive potential paying customers far away.

Your business should have strategies in place for handling customer service issues through social media, as it serves as another, more convenient way to get in touch with customers and vice versa. It also boosts your brand’s reputation and, if you do it strategically, increases your opportunity to go viral. At the very least, a well-developed social media customer service strategy could be an opportunity to foster a unique, notable or even hilarious brand voice. (You’d be in good company, alongside Denny’s, MoonPie and so many others.)

“Customer service and social media have melded together,” said Lindsay Patton-Carson, social media supervisor at Evoke KYNE. “If your brand has social media profiles, you are absolutely going to have to perform customer service on social media. There isn’t a way to get around it.”

Patrick Cuttica, director of product marketing at social media management company Sprout Social, said that when customers come to you, you need to prove you can be a helpful resource to them. Don’t ignore them or leave their questions unanswered; your response (or lack of one) often determines whether the customer will return to your brand.

Because so many customers already communicate through social media, businesses of all sorts should invest in building out their social customer care efforts. Social media can improve the way you address customer service issues. If you resolve customer concerns over social media quickly enough, this positive exchange can help you create a loyal customer base.

To connect with customers, make sure they can reach you on their preferred platforms.

“Brands need to be thoughtful about which social platforms their customers are using [and] … focus their engagement efforts there,” Cuttica said. “A successful customer service strategy requires that a brand be present and available across the channels their customers prefer.”

Key takeaway: Using social media for customer service allows you to respond to customers’ questions and concerns and build a loyal customer base.

Patton-Carson and Cuttica, along with Una Vaina Bien Spanish founder Mechi Annaís Estévez Cruz and social media expert Gerille Rosado, offered some strategies for small business owners who are looking to use social media as a customer service tool:

1. Build authentic customer relationships in a timely fashion.

Many businesses approach social media as another channel for self-promotion and don’t always respond when customers comment on their posts or tweet at them. Use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to build real relationships by engaging in conversation.

While not responding at all can clearly have a negative impact on your brand, you also have to respond within a reasonable amount of time. According to research from Convince & Convert, 42% of consumers expect a response to a complaint on social media within 60 minutes, and nearly one-third expect a response within half an hour.

2. Use hashtags strategically.

Rosado said using a specific hashtag helps users search for their concerns under that hashtag. Hashtags help keep everything organized and easy to navigate, especially on platforms such as Twitter. You can add more information and curate content to the hashtag as well.

Wix, a web development site, named three types of hashtags to use: content, trending and brand-specific. While it’s important to follow trending and content hashtags, especially during holiday seasons, it could be equally beneficial to create brand-specific hashtags for different campaigns. For instance, Wix uses #WixPhotography to promote its photography contests.

3. Focus on creating a customer advocate base.

If a customer has a bad experience with a company, one of the first things they are likely to do is write a negative review online. Rather than responding to negative comments, your business’s strategy should involve providing such excellent customer service that you create a strong, loyal customer base that will advocate for your brand if someone has something bad to say.

Hootsuite describes a customer advocacy base as a group of loyal, trusted customers and employees who can speak out in favor of your brand. This demographic is often untapped, as many organizations overlook the power of loyal brand advocates.

4. Be responsive.

When you respond to a customer complaint, listen closely to that customer, Patton-Carson advised. It’s vital to pay attention and let them know you’re listening. A lack of attentiveness contributes to a poor response, which reflects negatively on your brand. After all, when your brand replies to an individual user, it’s not just your followers who can see it.

No response is also considered a poor response. “Whether it’s an angry comment or a positive comment, people love being acknowledged and heard,” Patton-Carson said.

One little response with a thank-you, like or emoji can have a huge impact on an individual scale, she said, as it lets the customer know that your brand is listening and receptive. The goal is to maintain activity and assure your followers, including potential customers, that your brand is active on social media and responsive to your audience.

5. Be available.

To respond effectively to customers, they have to be able to reach you in the first place. Brands often fall short on social customer service because they aren’t actively listening to and engaging with customers, Cuttica said.

Brands that want to deliver effective customer service on social media should use social media monitoring to flag all messages related to their company or products.

“Introducing automation through chatbots can help ease the burden on human customer service agents,” Cuttica said. “Striking the right balance [between] automation and accessible customer service agents, working hand in hand, will help brands respond more efficiently and effectively to every meaningful conversation.”

Inactivity means missed opportunities not only for positive interactions but also for easy profits. According to findings published in 2016 in the journal Business Research, brands that interact with customers on social media overall tend to be more profitable. (Twitter published similar conclusions about its users the same year.) Furthermore, social media interactions with customers have the potential to create a high return on investment, especially if you outsource social media management to a third-party company or have one employee dedicated to content creation and account moderation.

6. Take public conversations private.

Many angry or frustrated customers leave public comments on your Instagram and Facebook page, or tweet them at your business. This can be a bad look for your company, especially if people repost or share these comments.

While you absolutely shouldn’t ignore these messages, you should not handle the entire encounter publicly. Show other customers that you value their input by sending an initial response publicly, requesting to continue the conversation privately. For example, if someone tweets about how their product arrived damaged, send a tweet back to apologize and tell them that a member of your customer service team reached out to them in their direct messages.

Even positive matters should be discussed in private, as it will show your customers you value their concerns or reviews and aren’t just looking for public praise. Take the time to foster a more personal customer service experience by speaking with customers one on one.

7. Set up a separate handle for customer service support.

Many businesses have a separate social media account for customer service purposes. For example, your normal account might be @yourbusiness, while your customer service account might be @yourbusiness_help. That way, customer demands or concerns can be organized and flagged more easily. Additionally, your customer service team can get to work on issues quickly by focusing on one account.

To increase this dedicated account’s reach, make sure you include a link to the profile in your main account’s bio to direct customers there for support. While you still might get some requests on your main account, you can pass them along to the right team to ensure every customer receives the proper help.

Also, you should respond to every customer service complaint or message with your customer service account, even if the customer contacted the wrong one, as it will show others how you address requests as well.

Key takeaway: To use social media as a customer service tool, be authentic, responsive and attentive, and set up a separate customer service support account to direct customers to a more detailed private conversation.

There are various social tools you can use to support your customer service needs:

Messaging apps: Messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger and ClickDesk, are great ways to communicate directly with your customers. Have them contact you personally (or reach out to them if they left a comment on your page) so you can handle matters privately.
Live chat: Live chat is a great option for customer service because it provides quick responses from real live-chat representatives.
Chatbots: Like live chat, chatbots are perfect for efficiently addressing customer concerns. Chatbot responses are immediate, so customers don’t have to wait around for a response, even in the middle of the night. Using chatbots is also more affordable than hiring human customer service representatives. However, because there’s no real representative on the other side of the conversation, responses lack a human touch.
Tracking systems: Certain software and services measure the impact of your customer service efforts on social media, telling you how long it takes for your business to respond to messages or resolve issues. That way, you can approve wherever necessary.

Key takeaway: Social tools – such as messaging apps, live chat, chatbots and tracking systems – can aid your social customer service efforts.

Customer service policies ensure all employees are on the same page when addressing dissatisfied customers or any questions and concerns customers might have. This is especially important if you’re using social media for customer support purposes. You’ll want to create a separate social media customer service policy for your team so that your efforts are reliable and consistent.

Follow these steps to develop your social media customer service policy:

Learn more about your customers’ needs. You can do this by conducting surveys or asking your customer service team about their experiences with common complaints or asking your customer service team about their experiences with common complaints or questions.
Develop a vision statement. Based on that research, develop a clear vision statement that outlines how to address these concerns.
Align research about customer needs with customer service goals. Make sure your customer service goals and company values align with your customers’ needs.
Train employees (especially new ones) on the policy. To ensure everyone is on the same page, train all customer service employees on how to implement and follow this policy.
Reevaluate often. Revisit the policy at least annually and any time you think you need to improve your customer service efforts.

Key takeaway: Creating a social media customer service policy will ensure that all of your employees are on the same page.

The post How to Use Social Media for Customer Service appeared first on Lanka Talents.