Who Will Fill Your Social Customer Care Gap?

I read an article last week about how video startup, Beme hired one of their teenage twitter followers after discovering he was providing unsanctioned customer support on his own through the social network.

As more consumers are looking online to resolve customer service issues, companies are increasing their investment in social media. Adopting a social customer care policy isn’t optional anymore — it’s critical to staying competitive and relevant.

We’ve all heard that if you don’t provide support for your customers online, someone else will step in and do it for you. In this case, 17-year old student, Conner McMahon, created an unofficial Twitter account, @bemehelp, to field questions and provide support for Beme users who weren’t getting a rapid response from the company.

At Beme, the story had a happy ending. The company ended up hiring the teenager for several hours a week to fill the social support gap at the company. This is likely a great investment. A study by the International Customer Management Institute shows 61 percent of consumers who received customer service through social media (also known as social care) were more satisfied with their support. And 58 percent said social care increased their customer loyalty.

Companies slow to embrace social media for customer service are missing an opportunity to build their brands and customer loyalty. Ignoring customer problems on social media can spark a raging fire of discontent. But by connecting with customers on social media, you can quickly respond and resolve issues in front of thousands of other prospective clients.

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out our recent pieces on social customer care:

Infographic: Social Customer Care

Blog post: How Social Media Has Forever Changed Customer Service

eBook: Social Customer Care: Using Social Media To Improve Customer Support