Anyone looking to convince their company of the importance of social customer service can point to a growing library of case studies. Whether it is how O2 has used social media to turn a customer service negative into a positive or on the flipside how Australian retailer Gasp failed to engage with a disgruntled customer, there are more and more stories that can be used to justify the necessary inv...
When it comes to crisis situations social media is now the front line for customer service. Issues spread quickly on Twitter and Facebook (and company message boards) and are visible to the entire world, drawing in other people who might not even be affected by the original problem. So the risk of damage to a brand’s reputation amongst potential customers and the general public is extremely ...
christmas 2007 (Photo credit: paparutzi) It seems strange to be talking about Christmas in mid-summer, but plans for the festive season are well under way at most retailers. Decisions about key products are being currently made and programmes of store refurbishments are happening now as companies seek to be ready for their busiest time of the year. Current poor economic conditions really do ...
Customers increasingly want to interact with companies through social media. Whether that’s getting their issues sorted quickly, asking basic questions or sharing their experiences of good or bad service/products, for many social media is now the channel of choice. Speed and ease of use are some of the factors driving this - our own 2012 Eptica Social Customer Service Study showed that 26% o...
Customer services (Photo credit: gordon2208) On the Eptica blog we’ve regularly talked about how social media provides a megaphone for customers to talk about your brand – but despite this new research shows that companies simply aren’t listening.Our own 2012 Eptica Social Customer Service Study surveyed 2,000 consumers across the UK and France on their attitudes to using s...
Organisations across the world are grappling with how to best use social media for customer service. In an era where consumers are increasingly using networks such as Facebook and Twitter to share their experiences, good and bad, how should companies respond? Who should handle enquiries? How can processes be changed to ensure that enquiries are dealt with quickly to keep customers happy, while sti...
New research from American Express demonstrates the growing importance of social media to customer service. The US survey found that companies that resolve queries and complaints through Facebook and Twitter saw 21% more sales than those that just relied on the phone or via email. 17% of consumers are now using social media for customer service, with 20% of them turning to social media first befor...
When Facebook launched its e-commerce platform, a huge number of high profile retailers opened virtual stores on the social media network. Since then many of these have closed amidst poor customer take-up – for example recent research found that just 2% of French consumers would buy through Facebook. However new retailers are still opening F-commerce stores and niche boutiques are recording ...
As they operate in a highly regulated environment, many banks and financial services companies have been wary of becoming involved in social media. There has been a real fear that a throwaway tweet could be seen as endorsing a product when it isn’t the right fit for a particular customer, leading to potential misselling claims and action by regulators.However when handled properly the benefi...
On the Eptica blog we’ve extensively covered the impact of social media on customer service and the real time opportunity that it provides for consumers to complain (or even praise) your company. There’s now even a social media network dedicated solely to handling customer complaints. Called Gripevine, it promises to connect dissatisfied customers directly with companies, allowing...