This is a guest post by Heidi McCarthy (Bio is below).

Being so ensconced in customer service, I look for every opportunity to praise good service and to offer constructive criticism when warranted.  In that regard, there is no faster, or cathartic, medium in which to speak out than social media.  Companies today do not realize they are missing both an opportunity to engage with their customers, but also risk letting a disgruntled customer’s small complaint grow into a boulder that is rolling so fast it can’t easily be stopped.

I have to confess to being a late-comer to social media.  When I first dipped my toes into this vast ocean, I wanted to see what was out there relative to customer service.  So I did a Twitter search on customer service.  What I found would make a sailor blush.  Call me old-fashioned, but I honestly was appalled at the way so many people chose to express themselves.

Then I took a step back and tried to determine, in 140 characters or less, just what the problems were.  Some people truly were just venting.  Had a bad day at work or fight with their significant other and needed to let off steam, so ABC Widgets became an easy target. Others did seem to be legitimate complaints – and praises.  But what is ABC Widgets going to do with these comments?

That is the $64,000 question.  Many companies, in fact one report says half of the Fortune 100 companies, now have social media divisions in their customer service departments.  Tracking what people are saying on social media about our company and therefore our brand, is something that no company, no matter its size (even solo-entrepreneurs), can ignore in today’s 24/7 world.  We need to know what is being said about us – and respond to it in a timely manner.

Which brings up a few points:

1. You must monitor social media.  This can be done by staff, who throughout the day check in on the primary social media your clients and customers use to see what is being said about you, your industry and your competition.  There are also software solutions that you can buy that integrate with your website, some even interface with directly with your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  A few sites to check out are: http://getsatisfaction.com/ ; http://www.suggestionbox.com/ ; http://uservoice.com/
2. You need to post your office hours on your website and social media sites, so that someone posting at 2:00 AM doesn’t expect an immediate reply.
3. You need to engage in conversations with your customers.  This can be tips, tricks and solutions to everyday challenges. What it is not, is selling. It is also a good time to be personable.  Put a “face” to the name of the company.  Maybe even simply chat with customers.  However, should the problem require a private reply, most social media sites provide a means for directly corresponding (direct messaging – DM) with people.  I saw one comment on Twitter that said, “Please DM me your phone number so we can discuss this.”  A follow-up Tweet showed that the customer was pleased with the outcome of the phone call.

As with all customer service interactions the comments posted on Social Media need to be taken seriously and addressed in a timely manner.  And we as consumers have to realize that timely doesn’t necessarily mean instantly.  Sometimes it truly does require research on the part of the customer service representative before they can reply.  However, a quick message that says “I am looking into this and will respond by……” is always a good idea.  Then be sure to follow-up by the day and time you specified.

Another good idea is to accumulate the questions and comments that are received to find the common themes.  Then develop FAQ’s so that people can find the answers quickly and easily.  Social media is here to stay.  Any company that does not embrace it as one of their customer service channels, does so at their peril.

What do you think of social media and customer service?  Do you find many companies are doing a good job with offering customer service through social media platforms?

Guest Author: Heidi McCarthy has been customer focused her whole life. She got her start in customer service working as waitress while putting herself through college. After college she worked in the corporate arena for 8 years with Petersen Publishing. Here she learned the ins and outs of working in a corporate structure including customer service working with clients across North America.  She also worked with her husband in his salvage diving business where dealing with the “rich and famous” taught her much about people’s expectations.

Heidi’s passion for excellence in business – and her observation that customer care is a dying art, caused her to found Toughest Customer, where today she teaches businesses and entrepreneurs how to restore and keep the ‘service’ in Customer Service. She is offering a free, 2-part series on “Keeping Clients Coming Back”.  For more information go to: http://www.toughestcustomer.com/KeepClientsComingBack.html