Demand is High for Social Customer Care in Telecoms

Companies no longer control the terms of engagement with customers for service and support. It is customers who initiate conversations, using whichever channel they find most comfortable or convenient. More and more, the channels they choose to use are social media platforms. Telecoms are in high demand for social care with 426,451 questions asked via Facebook and 523,825 questions asked on Twitter, as reported by Social Bakers for Q4 2013. Telecom companies had response rates of 75.3% on Facebook, but only 53.5% of questions were responded to on Twitter, demonstrating that Telecoms social media marketing statistics have work to do to improve their social media customer care processes and workflows. But companies must realize that it’s not just about adding social channels into the support mix, but about becoming sociable in line with expectations related to the channel. While most customers expect a response to an inquiry made on social platforms within an hour, companies are missing the mark. The average response time on Twitter is 11 hours and 15 minutes, and an entire day for Facebook posts. A recent survey conducted by Google Consumer Surveys found that more than 70% of the total social media-based customer care and brand contacts made over the past year were conducted top social media marketing companies on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The two top reasons cited for social media care interactions were to provide positive feedback or suggestions (31%) and related to concerns regarding a product or service (30%). The demographic most loyal to social care is urban customers that range in age from 18 to 34 years of age with incomes that range from $50k to $74k. However, when all the participants were asked, “If you knew your customer service issue would be resolved regardless of contact channel, which would be your preferred contact method?” 25% of them selected social media care.

The Time to Develop Competency in Social Customer Care is Now

Even though it’s likely that the phone will remain as a critical channel for customer care, delaying the implementation of social customer care will not work in your favor. The number of questions being asked on social media alone should offer proof that the time for social care has come. Social customer care requires careful thought and planning and a highly tuned understanding of the nuances and expectations of customers using social media marketing training social media platforms in search of support and service. Working with a contact center provider that has developed expertise in serving customers through social channels can expedite your organization’s ability to achieve operational effectiveness. Expanding service and support into new channels can bring vibrancy to customer relationships and improve loyalty. That more customers can be served in less time can also bring operational efficiencies and reduced costs. But more importantly, proactive service offered through social channels can also contribute to sales at the moment a customer is making the decision to buy. Social customer care should not be implemented as a standalone channel. In fact, it offers a great opportunity to educate customers about self-service options that can further deflect operational costs and volume from the contact center. Additionally, social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook may not always be the most efficient channels to achieve effective issue resolution. You’ll need to have a plan for which types of “call” drivers should be shifted to another channel, as well as to satisfy the customer with a meaningful reason to make the transition. Value should be provided in each and every social customer care interaction, even if the outcome is to transition the customer to a channel more suitable for social media marketing classes solving their problem. It is also important to develop a collaborative relationship with marketing colleagues, as well as workflows and processes for routing notifications that are meant for a marketing response, rather than a customer care interaction. Since it’s likely that marketing owned social media prior to your organization’s establishment of a social customer care program, effective communication is critical to a coordinated brand presence on social media platforms.

Social media backlash against Germany brands bailout demands to Greece's govt as a 'coup'

A list of demands handed to the Greek government in order to secure a European bailout inspired a social media backlash against Germany and its hawkish Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. #ThisIsACoup was the second top trending hashtag on Twitter worldwide - and top in Germany and Greece - as euro zone leaders argued through the night to convince Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to take the deal or face bankruptcy and his country's social media marketing news expulsion from the European Union's common currency area. The tag was attached to tens of thousands of angry comments denouncing German-inspired proposals for EU-directed reforms of Greece's public administration and demands that Athens pass new laws within days to raise taxes and cut back on pensions. It was given impetus when Mr Paul Krugman, the Nobel laureate economist, praised it on his New York Times blog. "The trending hashtag ThisIsACoup is exactly right," he wrote. "This goes beyond harsh into pure vindictiveness, complete destruction of national sovereignty, and no hope of relief. "It is, presumably, meant to be an offer Greece can't accept; but even so, it's a grotesque betrayal of everything the European project was supposed to stand for." Among other elements of the EU proposals that outraged social media marketing network some commentators was a suggestion that some 50 billion euros (S$75.4 billion) of Greek public assets be placed in an independent trust based in Luxembourg, out of reach of Greek politicians, the proceeds of which from privatisations would go directly to pay off debts. The hashtag appeared to originate on Sunday evening from Mr Sandro Maccarrone, who describes himself as a physics teacher from Barcelona.