SOCIAL CUSTOMER SERVICE
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA From planning to implementation: what you really need to know about social customer service to interact more efficiently in social media
A Scup publication
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Starting point We all know that companies are concerned about customer service in social media. But how should they implement a social customer service operation? How can they interact efficiently with people? How can they monitor what is being said about their brand without the risk of not capturing a mention? How should they manage crises? This eBook aims to answer these questions. We hope you enjoy reading it and that it helps you to better understand the fundamentals that underpin social media.
www.scupsocial.com Share
2
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
What’s in it for me? If you want to implement a customer service operation in social media and do not know where to start, this book is for you. This eBook will help you plan, implement and manage your social customer service operation. Once you have read it, you will be in a position to make your customer service more social.
www.scupsocial.com Share
3
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
About the author Marcelo Salgado is the social media manager at Bradesco, Brazil's second largest private bank. He holds an undergraduate degree in Literature from FFLCH-USP and a Master’s in Social Media Communication from FAAP. He built and manages the team that manages the @AloBradesco Twitter profile - the first profile of a Brazilian bank to perform customer service via social media. Get in touch with Marcelo! Twitter: @marcelosalgado Facebook: Facebook.com/marcelosal
www.scupsocial.com Share
4
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Content The fundamentals of social customer service ..............................6 How to plan a social customer service operation ........................ 9 How to implement a social customer service operation ............ 19 How to manage a social media crisis ......................................... 24 How to manage a social customer service operation ................ 26 Conclusion ................................................................................. 28 Hints and Tips ............................................................................ 30 Next steps... ............................................................................... 31
www.scupsocial.com Share
5
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Chapter 1 | Fundamentals
“Positioning a company in social media requires the capacity to understand people” ................................................ There was a time when companies used to “broadcast” information to consumers, delivering just the messages that put them in the best light. Communication channels were limited to phone calls, letters and maybe an email. Since there was not much opportunity for a two-way conversation it took a major crisis for customers to hear about it and for it to cause any problems. In the mid-1980s, customer service centers started to appear, which allowed companies to create a connection with many customers on a one-to-one basis. Over the years regulation was introduced to ensure the quality of customer service. However, when social media burst onto the scene and organizations realized it could be used to handle customer service issues in real time, there were no rules or best practices to guide them. Some organizations simply used their existing customer service processes to regulate social customer service. If used well, traditional policies are very helpful. However, they
www.scupsocial.com Share
6
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
need to be adapted to account for the process of human interaction and hyper connectivity that are hallmarks of social media. Here are some guidelines to help you put an effective social customer service program in place. Guideline 1: Social media is not customer service Traditional customer service is typically very mechanical -- a customer service representative spends his or her day reading scripts. This is not what the “connected” client expects of companies in a social media setting. The customer expects a more human “voice”. Social media creates connections between people and is too much of a multidisciplinary universe to be reduced just to customer service and advertising. Positioning a company in social media mainly requires an ability to understand people. Guideline 2: Social customer service must be efficient and fast In the past when the only way to communicate with companies was to send a letter, people were mentally prepared to wait for the response. When call centers were created, the willingness to wait for a response decreased. Contact was faster and more direct. However, we were still prepared to wait. Today, we are used to a world that is extremely connected with no barriers and as a result we want an immediate response. It is clear that one media does not replace another and the time we are willing to wait for each
www.scupsocial.com Share
7
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
one of communication to another is still different, but when it comes to social media, the response must be quick and efficient.
www.scupsocial.com Share
8
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Chapter 2 | Planning
“A customer service department needs freedom within a company� ................................................................................................... Before you start planning your social customer service strategy it is important to do some research and analysis. First take a close look at the following four points: Where do your customers congregate? What is being said? How much is being said? When is it being said?
www.scupsocial.com Share
9
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Where, what, how and when there are conversations, questions and comments about your company will define which social media platforms to monitor, how (and whether) to interact, what tools to use, and what times of day your customers are active. The latter will establish if your team needs to work around the clock or not. While doing this analysis, the amount of work and investment required will become clear. Each line of business has its needs just as each company has its own DNA and these must be taken into account at this time. 1. Physical Structure and Hierarchy Take note! THE CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM NEEDS TO HAVE THE COMPANY CULTURE IN ITS DNA, UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL MEDIA, MATURITY AND, MOST OF ALL, GOOD WRITING SKILLS In many businesses, especially those dedicated to services, it makes sense that the social media relationship should be around the clock. If that is the case, for shifts to run smoothly, you will need approximately 16 workers on 6-hour shifts or 12 workers on 8- hour shifts. This is because you will need at least two people working together at peak periods, which creates an actual need for four available people (considering the fact that one may be off duty due to weekend shift and another one on lunch break). Furthermore, you will need at least one worker for the quieter hours. Add to this calculation weekend shifts and respective days off, and you will arrive at the minimum amount of people required.
www.scupsocial.com Share
10
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
If there are times when there is no activity among your customer base you will not need coverage. This will all depend on your preliminary analysis, especially the analysis of what and how much should be communicated. If a mention during the early hours of the morning is unusual, you can decide not to have a person working this shift. If on the other hand it is too critical to risk not responding to a mention, it should be taken into consideration. In short: make sure your brand won’t be harmed by decisions you make regarding staffing and shifts. Many social customer service groups started with one or two workers and grew over time. This is another more organic way to start and is certainly an option, depending on your situation. These days a lot of customer service is outsourced. Companies large and small have tested this model. Some companies outsource to their customer service provider, others to their advertising agency. We do not recommend this. This e-book aims to deliver the best social customer service practices so we recommend an internal structure over an outsourced service. Your team must have the corporate culture in its DNA. We recommend recruiting workers who are knowledgeable about
www.scupsocial.com Share
11
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
social networks, mature, know how to provide quality customer service and, above all, who have good writing skills. However we recognize that this 100% internal model is also the most expensive so think it through carefully and find the model that works best for your business. Just be sure you can be certain of quality interaction with your customers. Regardless of whether you decide to build your own department or outsource we recommend that you employ a good social media agency, at least at the outset. It is important to get up to speed on how to incorporate social media into your customer service strategy before fully engaging with customers. The choice of who will lead this group is also important. The manager should be deeply specialized in social media. He or she must set guidelines, suggest action plans and keep the team updated on market trends. And, since customer service involves relationships, this department must be connected to the other groups in your company that will be called upon to provide information to your customers, such as product management. It is important to put processes in place that will give you easy access to all departments of the organization.
www.scupsocial.com Share
12
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
2. Define the team’s “freedom of speech” Take note! THE CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM NEEDS FREEDOM IN THE WAY THEY RESPOND TO CUSTOMERS. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT EXCLUDE SCRIPTS IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS It is not practical to approve every tweet posted in a social customer service department. Therefore, your team must have the freedom to create responses and the company’s trust to do so. Remember that, in telephone customer service centers, workers (including outsourced ones) have the power to improvise on behalf of the company multiple times a day. On the other hand it is important to establish written guidelines, be they casual or more formal depending on your company brand. Such guidelines help the team understand the most appropriate way to handle different situations and also assure company management that there is some order within the normal and expected chaos of social networking.
www.scupsocial.com Share
13
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
3. Map internal workflows and define your main contacts Take note! THE MANAGER OF A SOCIAL CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM NEEDS TO SHOW THE WAY AND BE AWARE OF TRENDS Responding to customers, prospects and others in social networks demands speed and attention so it is necessary to talk to the relevant managers in your company and elect one person to be the main contact for his or her area of responsibility. These contacts will need to quickly respond to requests so it is important that this person is fully committed to timeliness regardless of the hour or the day. Social networks are just one way to interact with your customers. Although these channels demands faster responses when compared with the telephone for example, the quality of your responses must be standard across the board. Your customer is unique. This is how he or she feels in this hyperconnected world, and that is how you should treat him or her, regardless of the communication channel used. 4. Define tool(s), metric(s) and report types Take note! IT IS IMPERATIVE TO HAVE A TOOL THAT GROUPS THE HISTORY OF A TEAM'S INTERACTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS It is now time to select a social media monitoring tool and any other tools you will need to use to achieve your goals. When
www.scupsocial.com Share
14
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
doing so, remember that you will need to create a database and integrate it with your customer relationship management (CRM) solution in the future. Creating such a database is fundamental so you can keep track of who you have talked to and what you’ve said. Otherwise you risk asking someone you have been interacting with for a couple of days “how may I help?” Define what types of data you will report on and how often. The preliminary analysis you made will help guide you but it is crucial that company management participate in this step. When we talk about social customer service, one of the most serious mistakes we have seen is related to measurement and which indicators will be used to verify its success. Sentiment (negative, neutral, positive) is, in many cases, less important than response volume and type (complaint, suggestion, compliment, question, etc). We are not recommending any best practices here because each company, even in the same industry, has different considerations. However here are some suggestions that you can consider for your particular situation. Reports focused on product/problem: Maps the impact of mentions and complaints about each of the company’s products or services. For this to work, the social media manager must correctly classify mentions throughout the day.
www.scupsocial.com Share
15
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Reports focused on sentiment: Demonstrates how many negative, positive or neutral mentions there were about the company. This method requires good training and regular classification throughout the day, as well as an accurate analysis of the context of each mention, so as to not generate false negatives. Reports focused on highlights: Used to highlight information in social media that allows a company to learn about the customer or anticipate a future crisis or demand. Specific reports: Every now and then, negative news will impact your business such as system crashes, a crisis caused by a negative post from an influential customer, etc. In these cases, you need to demonstrate the extent of the problem internally and thoroughly map the reasons that led to it. Keep a report template on hand so you can pull together information that will be easily understood in the event that this happens. Report on frequency and volume: Maps the times at which your profiles are most visited and when you receive the most help requests. Not only will it confirm your team’s performance at the most critical times, but it will also help you request more resources for your team, when overloaded. You can and must create more than one type of report so you can cross reference data to best understand your environment. Reports focused on products/problems, for example, offer feedback for improvement and insight for innovation. But reports about a specific problem may offer a broader view of the reasons for complaints and suggest an alternative solution.
www.scupsocial.com Share
16
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
In all cases, advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, especially Excel, is extremely important in order to compare report data. There are tools that produce standard reports, but not necessarily reports that are customized to your needs. However, they will certainly allow data extraction in .csv or .xls format, both of which can be opened in Excel so you can transform data into relevant, useful and convincing information. 5. Define Keywords Take note! TEST THE KEY WORDS THAT YOU SEARCH FOR. It is important to define keywords to be used when searching for mentions in social media. Use terms such as company name, products, services, etc. However monitoring competitors and the market does not make much sense if you are focusing on issues related to social customer service. We recommend you study and test Twitter search syntax to get used to it: http://twitter.com/#!/search-home. Many companies have common names and searches can get semantically difficult, so understanding search mechanisms is important to eliminate junk and optimize search items and analysis time. Another important matter is that some terms may be strategic to your company. If one of your goals is responding proactively, brainstorm all the keywords that relate to your business with your team. Monitoring them may help you start conversations that generate business or simply surprise your customer with a comment and spur an interaction.
www.scupsocial.com Share
17
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Other tools that may help you understand the universe of keywords involving your business, market and competition are Google Insights for search1 and Google AdWords Keyword Tool2. 6. Influencers Take note! YOU NEED TO RESPOND TO EVERYONE EQUALLY IN SOCIAL MEDIA. IGNORING CERTAIN PROFILES CAN HAVE A VERY DAMAGING IMPACT IN SOCIAL MEDIA At this point you should build a list of influencers, social hubs and celebrities who use or discuss your brand. This list will be dynamic, updated as you interact with your audiences. Each contact with the customer is an opportunity to make a positive impact in a network so work hard to respond equally to everyone, but pay special attention to influencers, as their power to impact your brand is much more significant. Approach them and start to build a relationship. Invite them to events for example. Be very attentive to their needs. Just like a complaint, a recommendation from an influencer reaches far more people.
1
http://www.google.com/insights/search/?hl=en-US https://adwords.google.com.br/o/Targeting/Explorer?__c=1000000000&__u=1000000000&ideaReque stType=KEYWORD_IDEAS&hl=en_US 2
www.scupsocial.com Share
18
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Chapter 3 | Execution
“Look to interact as much as possible within the social hub where it started” ........................................................ At this point you are ready to start executing on the plan you have put in place. As work gets underway you will notice that your plan is very dynamic. This is good. As you start working on a daily basis you will realize what works best and will make adjustments. This is always the best way to learn and improve. 1. Monitor, analyze and interact in real time Take note! FOR CERTAIN COMPANIES, IT MAKES SENSE TO MONITOR AND INTERACT 24 HOURS PER DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. As previously stated the customer has different expectations of your turnaround time in social media. He or she does not want to wait. But this is not the only consideration. If your interaction is not in real time, you will miss the opportunity to bring a swift end to a complaint and transform an experience from negative to positive, especially on Twitter.
www.scupsocial.com Share
19
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Set yourself a response target in minutes. Some organizations commit to responding within 30 minutes, for example. Connecting with the customer quickly, makes him or her feel valued and means you have time to solve the problem or to gather information to provide the best response. Each company has characteristics that compose its DNA. For many companies, especially service companies, it makes a lot of sense to monitor social media and interact 24/7. Actually, we believe this is ideal. However, it is not a rule. So take into consideration what your company brand stands for, what your product delivers, and be there at the right times for your customer. 2. Quick responses Take note! THE FOCAL POINTS OF EACH DEPARTMENT WITHIN A COMPANY SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR MORE COMPLEX ANSWERS. Each member of the team should have an information guide about your products and services (just like in customer service centers -- it can even be the same guide). This will help them respond faster to commonly asked questions. Try to keep interaction on the social media hub where it was initiated. Only move to another communication mechanism such as the telephone if you need to enter into a more detailed conversation or exchange private information.
www.scupsocial.com Share
20
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Use your contacts with assigned product or service managers in the company for more complex responses and demand quick turnaround from them. 3. Hands on Take note! DESPITE HAVING EACH TEAM MEMBER RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE TASK WITHIN THE OPERATION, THEY ALL NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AS A WHOLE. Everybody is ready but who does what? How are responsibilities divided up between the team? It depends on the platforms to be monitored. If you intend to cover Facebook and Twitter, it is necessary to organize the team and divide tasks (the manager should help here). This means that while one person takes care of direct messages and occasionally makes necessary phone calls, another should monitor public mentions and the wall on Facebook. While executing on their role, it is crucial that everyone on the team keeps the big picture in mind: the focus on the customer.
www.scupsocial.com Share
21
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
4. Keep an interactive database Take note! GROUP THE HISTORY OF YOUR INTERACTIONS IN SOCIAL MEDIA. Backup all conversations from day one so you have the history of every interaction with each user. If your social media monitoring tool does this automatically and compiles a history of interactions, that is even better. With this feature, each conversation is clearly visible which is particularly useful when you have a new team member. The ability to cite previous interactions during new interactions with the same customer demonstrates professionalism and a genuine interest in their needs. Consider integrating this database with your CRM software in the future, so that access to information is quicker. 5. Look for opportunities to be proactive Take note! A SOCIAL CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM SHOULD NOT JUST BE FOCUSED ON COMPLAINTS. Responding to complaints is going to be your main activity, but it is possible to find opportunities to actively promote products and services, as long as the context is relevant to the conversations. Do not send sales messages if there is no ongoing conversation or appropriate context for it.
www.scupsocial.com Share
22
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
6. Keep updating your influencer list Take note! DO NOT TRY TO INTERACT WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU. Your interactions will show that the most famous are not necessarily the ones who impact the most people. Mapping local influencers is important, as well as mapping out trolls (those people who enjoy being detractors on the internet). But keep conversations only to people who really want to have one. Never respond to trolls who want to have fun. The social media manager’s instinct plays an important role in this situation.
www.scupsocial.com Share
23
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Chapter 4 | Crisis Management
“During a crisis, involve all of the hierarchical levels above you” ................................................................................................... The customer has experienced a major problem. Now what? It is important to keep calm and interact. Interact. People want to hear an official voice. Be transparent and polite, offer first-hand information. When the company’s position is authentic and objective the community will hear your voice and ignore the naysayers. Involve. Demonstrate internally how a specific problem is impacting opinion in social media. Involve the other hierarchical
www.scupsocial.com Share
24
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
levels, so that they at least know about the situation. Monitor. Give preference to people who are talking directly to you, but keep your eye on the general search for mentions that are not directed to your official profile/page in order to detect important conversations that don’t mention your name. Again, keep in mind that you will need a good social media monitoring tool in order to be effective. [+] MORE ON THIS Do you know how to manage a crisis in social media?
www.scupsocial.com Share
25
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Chapter 5 | Management
“The positioning of a company in social media should mirror its actual positioning” ......................................................... All right. You have your social media customer service team up and running and everything works fine. Now comes the easy part, right? Wrong. Since social media conversations are notoriously unpredictable, you have to keep adapting to make sure you are on top of quality at all times. 1. Track the volume of interactions Do you need to add resources during your busy hours. You should project your growth curve to anticipate team expansion and avoid losing quality of interactions. 2. Pay attention to trends Is Tumblr the new thing? Is Pinterest over? What’s the newest meme? Participate in discussions, events and lectures about the market and keep your eyes open for trends. This can turn into a competitive advantage.
www.scupsocial.com Share
26
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Get to know other social media managers, so you can exchange information. Good ideas always come from such contacts. 3. Map and recommend improvements People will point out problems and give interesting feedback, but in general companies don’t know what to do with it. It is part of your role to determine how to solve problems and make new recommendations to management. While showing respect for the opinions of others and letting them know their contribution is valuable, it is important to push for necessary changes in your social customer service program so that you learn and improve in the quest for excellence.
www.scupsocial.com Share
27
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Conclusion
“Companies that don't interact in social media will not innovate� ................................................................................................... Once you start interacting in social media, you should follow the company guidelines for interaction but you can also innovate as unanticipated events occur in social media networks. See this as an opportunity. From a communication point of view this hyper-connected forum is no place for broadcasting. Company profiles that only broadcast information without engaging in conversations do not succeed in this environment.
www.scupsocial.com Share
28
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
People are the ones who decide what your product is for. If you are not an active member of social media, and don’t listen to what people have to say, you are at great risk that they will speak for you, possibly distorting the facts and damaging your reputation. People want to hear a human voice and feel your genuine interest in solving their problems, clarifying questions and responding. That is why it is necessary to go beyond platforms, to care about the essence of every business: people. Each connection is important, because it creates a relationship that lasts and it positively spreads throughout the network. By following the above steps and guidelines you can ensure the success of your social customer service programs.
www.scupsocial.com Share
29
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Hints and Tips It is important to keep some points in mind when it comes to communicating in social media:
1.
Social media require honesty and transparency, from both people and companies.
2.
They also require customized responses. Due to this, your team must have the freedom to improvise and unlimited access to internet.
3.
Communicate with everyone in the same way. There is no need for formalities. It is important to be casual, as we are all people. If a customer uses abbreviations and smiles, respond in the same way.
4.
The world of social networks is one of trial and error. So, if something doesn’t work, that’s alright. Accepting mistakes and correcting problems are great steps towards maintaining your reputation.
5.
Respect customers, prospects and others. Don’t insist on interactions if the other party is not interested. If you approach someone once and you are ignored or get no reply, move on.
6.
Finally, do not allow yourself to get dragged into an argument. This doesn’t sit well in the social media environment.
www.scupsocial.com Share
30
HOW TO START A CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Next steps... Are you starting out in social customer service and do you need a social media monitoring and management platform?
Why don't you try out Scup for 30 days?
http://bit.ly/PAbDoy
Also visit our social customer service site http://ideas.scup.com/en/socialmediacustomer/
www.scupsocial.com Share
31