Gone are the times when marketing, sales and customer service sections were not inter-connected and the communication between companies and customers was divided between before, during and after purchase (Forbes, 2015). Besides, social media is affecting all industries and their different departments.
It is general knowledge that Facebook is among the most dominants social media networks and one of the main forms of developing networking and maintaining the relationship with individuals (Wang, 2015).
Therefore, companies can benefit extremely from using Facebook as a marketing channel, such as improved communication with customers and knowledge of trends due to customers’ feedback (Hansson et al, 2013). According to Smart Insights (2015), 39% of customers are happy to contribute with their opinions across social media networks. Nevertheless, the knowledge gained can be used to develop products and services accordingly.
According to Klie (2016) “the number of messages sent to companies on Facebook has doubled in the past year, with consumers now sending more than 2.5 billion messages to those pages every month”. Furthemore, customers prefer to share their purchase experiences at social media pages instead of interacting with companies across official websites (Harris & Dennis, 2011).
According to a research from Northridge Group, “26 percent of consumers have turned to social media when they’ve had trouble getting assistance through other channels” and that “more than 30 percent of responses do not meet customer expectations”. Therefore, it appears that companies are neglecting the importance of Facebook as a channel of customer service, seeing that customers are unhappy with the speed and efficiency of the responses (Smilansky, 2015).
The explanation for the negligence might be that companies have been considering Facebook mainly as a channel for advertising. The evidence that “brands send an average of 23 promotional messages for every 1 response they give to a customer or audience member” demonstrates it (Smart Insights, 2017).
However, there is an urgency now for companies to be consistent across Facebook public walls and private chats, in order to meet customers’ expectations. Additionally, Facebook usage is expected to continually increase and so customers’ expectations for helpful responses from organisations (Smilansky, 2015).
Although customers consider the choice of images (organisations’ profile and status updates) extremely important features at Facebook pages, studies have found that customers recognize the messages features as the most crucial factor, as it enables them to interact with companies (Hansson et al, 2013).
Therefore, Facebook must be used by businesses as a chance to improve relationship with their customers, as they are capable to advertise organisations while demonstrating their engagement with the Facebook page. Not to mention that it works as a form of free advertising (Hansson et al, 2013).
Due to the increasing rising of use of social media networks to address issues and inquires, Facebook users can observe how companies are reacting to other users’ inquiries, nevertheless, if the business is providing a standard customer service, it will certainly be noticed (Smilansky, 2015).
On the other hand, customers can also damage companies’ reputation when posting comments regarding products or services’ dissatisfaction. In fact, several consumers just start to follow a company page in order to share their discontentment with other customers. Likewise, customers can also influence organisations to change decisions, while criticizing their attitudes, one example is when HSBC cancelled their decision to change students’ free-interest overdrafts, due to a lot of negative feedback received (Hansson et al, 2013).
Studies have found that “users are very sensitive to how companies handle criticism”. Customers expect companies to treat them with attention and respect regarding their negatives comments at their pages. Therefore, companies should respond to negative comments to demonstrate their concern and do not delete them at any circumstance (Hansson et al, 2013).
Notwithstanding, Facebook comprises positive and negative facts regarding companies, however, it is possible for organisations to administer their pages to their advantage, such as “answering a social media complaint can increase customer advocacy by 25%, and brand loyalty by a whopping 65% “(Smart Insights, 2017).
Nevertheless, an exceptional social media customer service in place builds brand trust which results in profit. Satisfied customers will maintain loyal as well as recommend the brand. Smart Insights (2017) states that those customers referrals are able to raise organisations’ profits by 81% annually.
In a nutshell, Facebook aims to enable businesses to respond to customers quickly and effectively, considering the several messaging features that are constantly being updated and improved by the company (Klie, 2016). Hence, companies who are not taking advantages from the service are missing out a big opportunity to improve not only the relationship with customers but also to increase the revenue.
If you still not convinced of the value of Facebook and social media as a customer service channel or would like to read further information about it, the following articles can be helpful:
The guide from Smart Insights explains the importance of social media customer care in retaining loyal customers and positive brand awareness. It explains the difference between Social Media Customer Care (SMCC) vs. Customer Relations Management (CRM) and how to use SMCC to boost revenue.
The following article from Forbes analyses how Facebook is becoming a customer service hub.
References
Hansson, L., Wrangmo, A., & Søilen, K. S. (2013). Optimal ways for companies to use Facebook as a marketing channel. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 11(2), 112-126. doi:10.1108/jices-12-2012-0024
Harris, L., & Dennis, C. (2011). Engaging customers on Facebook: Challenges for e-retailers. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 10(6), 338-346. doi:10.1002/cb.375
Klie, L. (2016, February 01). Facebook adds to customer service on pages: the social networking site offers tools to help companies better manage customer comunications. Customer relationship management, 20(2), 9.
Smart Insights (2017, December 18). The rise of social media customer care. Retrieved February 08, 2018, from https://www.smartinsights.com/customer-relationship-management/customer-service-and-support/rise-social-media-customer-care/
Smilansky, O. (2015, August 01). Twitter and Facebook Enable More Social Customer Service. Customer relationship management, 19(8), 20.
Wang, H. (2015). Predicting customers’ intentions to check in on Facebook while patronizing hospitality firms. Service Business, 10(1), 201-222. doi:10.1007/s11628-014-0265-7
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Klie, L. (2016, February 01). Facebook adds to customer service on pages: the social networking site offers tools to help companies better manage customer comunications. Customer relationship management, 20(2), 9.