It is very common, especially if you are an SME, to see that your Social Networks are used as another Customer Service tool. You should know that it follows the same basic principles, but with the characteristics of this medium. For example, the limited number of characters on Twitter forces us to be direct and precise. Its public nature is also a defining element, which makes us be very careful and study well the reach that what we say can have.

Four very important issues to keep in mind when dealing with customers on Social Media are:

• You have to respond as immediately as possible. Keep in mind that the customer's perception of your company will be closely related to your response time.

Imagine you have a sports shop. It can't happen that someone asks you on a Monday if you fit a size 38 in a pair of trainers and you reply two or three days later. The customer expects a quick response to his question or complaint, even if he transmits it to you via Social Networks.

• He thinks that when you respond you are not responding on your own behalf, you are representing your brand.. Your brand has its own voice, its own tone, its own values... Your personal opinions matter little, you have to mark a barrier between the personal and the professional.
• Exercise caution. It is necessary to think carefully about what you are going to say and ensure that it cannot lead to misinterpretation or ambiguity.
• Don't always use the same answers for all messages, or they will end up confusing you with an automatic reply system.

How to respond on Social Media? Some examples

Let's take a look at a few practical examples of how you should respond to your users on Social Media.

They mention you in order to recommend you to a third party

These types of mentions usually come from a conversation between two or more people, in which someone recommends your services or products. They also include comments in which someone expresses that they like the way you work.

In this case it is very, very easy to answer. Simply says thank you who has recommended you and indicate to the person asking for an opinion (if applicable) that they can contact you and you can advise them without obligation.

They ask you a question related to your product

In this case you have to offer him a concise answerwithout overdoing it. Cross-selling practices should be left for another time.

Answer what you are asked, and add a link to the section of your website where you can find more information about that product.

They make a complaint

You should avoid embarrassing public situations by trying to keep the conversation private and suggest continuing the conversation by phone, email or other means of contact. You can ask him/her to write to you by private message and find the most immediate way to talk about it.

It is very important that both the complaint or question and the solution are visible.in case another customer reads it and is in the same situation. Needless to say, whether you are right or wrong, you should respond to negative comments in a constructive way.

They give you positive feedback about your services

Comments such as "You are the best", "I love all your products", etc. can become common on Social Networks. If you spend all day reposting them you can become annoying for the rest of your followers, and end up being perceived as Spam.

Just say thank you, say that you are happy, thank you for the confidence, etc.

We hope you get a lot out of this post! Now, you just have to take the step, contact us, and we wish you success!