Billions of people use Facebook every month and that will include your customers. Chances are, your business has a Facebook page (and if it doesn’t, it should.) Facebook is useful for more than just promoting your business, however. It’s also a great tool for customer service. Read on to understand how you can take advantage of Facebook as a customer service tool.
Why is Facebook useful for customer service?
Facebook’s sheer market penetration makes it virtually impossible to ignore. No matter your market, your customers probably use Facebook and have Facebook apps on their devices. Going to them rather than making your customers come to you makes your business more accessible. Few people will bother having to register for an account and filling out a support ticket on your own support system, but sending you a message on Facebook is easy.
How does Facebook help?
There are two main tools you can use for customer service: your business page and Messenger. Facebook provides tools to allow you to easily integrate Messenger onto your own website. It sits unintrusively in the corner on your website and lets people send you messages quickly and easily that go into your business’ messages. This is great for private communication.
Customers may also choose to post on your Facebook page’s wall. It’s more likely for them to post if they’re upset about something, but it actually represents a good opportunity for you. Every business, including large multinational corporations, makes mistakes from time to time. It’s how you respond to those mistakes that matters and your Facebook wall is an opportunity to right those wrongs in a way that other people can see. Done right, you can even improve customer opinion of your service quality as a whole.
What should you avoid doing on Facebook?
Facebook wall posts are public by default, so you don’t want to put personal information on them. Messenger is more appropriate as it’s only between you and the customer, so depending on the privacy needs of your customer, you can be more open there.
It looks bad to ‘shame’ a customer, even if they are wrong or being unreasonable. This is applicable to all customer service channels, but it’s especially important to keep in mind when those customer complaints are being broadcast in a way that is accessible to the public. Always keep diplomacy in mind, no matter the medium used.
