By Adam

When it comes to marketing platforms, social media is a non-negotiable tool. Social ad spending in the United States is set to increase by over 20% this year. However, social media isn’t just for advertising to your customers. It’s also for communicating with them.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are hubs for identifying, and acting on, customer wants and needs. Here are some ways that your business can use social media listening to enhance not only your customer experience (CX), but also your entire experience management process.

1. Engage in Real Time

Your customers are active on social media day and night. And while traditional customer service platforms require some wait time, social platforms close this gap. Your social team can interact with your customers in real time. If a customer has a question or problem, your business can answer within seconds.

Real-time interactions help customers feel more immersed in your brand experience. Your business provides more attentive customer service, and the customers become more than just a name on the screen. To boost response time, be sure to use a social media management tool that provides real-time alerts. You might also set up an auto-response to direct customers to additional support tools.

2. Identify Common Problems

Your business likely collects customer feedback through surveys and comment boxes. But are you getting the real story? Social media is where customers go to be honest — for better or worse. If customers are experiencing issues with your products or services, chances are you’ll receive comments and messages.

As you handle this type of feedback, be on the lookout for patterns. Social media is a great tool for spotting common problems that your customers are having. If similar issues keep popping up across multiple users, the fix might be bigger than a one-time refund or coupon. Instruct your social team to alert management to patterns so you can make adjustments as needed.

3. Field Customer Questions

Social listening helps your business attend to customer questions, and you can do this in a few ways. The first is to monitor comments and direct messages for inquiries and respond quickly. Answering one-off questions improves individual customer experiences, but you can also broaden your reach. Post answers to frequently asked questions to keep all your customers in the know.

The Live features on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter can also be useful tools for answering customer inquiries. Consider hosting “ask me anything” sessions on social media to engage customers and broaden social listening opportunities. Hearing directly from a company representative not only humanizes your business, but it elevates your CX to make customers part of the story.

4. Highlight Positive Experiences

Customer experience is about more than addressing common problems. Your business should also respond to positive customer feedback. Start by monitoring the photos and posts that your company is tagged in. You can then respond to happy customers and thank them …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Author: Aaron