As we mentioned in our previous blog post, consumers will quickly switch brands based on just their experience of customer service. It’s easy for a small or medium business to focus on their brick-and-mortar in-store service. However, in the age of social media, digital ‘online-store’ customer service is just as important, if not more so! With a few clicks and very little extra effort a customer could go from their private messages to the review section and leave a bad rating that will follow your business forever. Or worse, to a competitors’ website!

Problems customers face online and how to deal with them
85% of customers said they had some kind of problem while online shopping and ‘window-browsing’. When such a high percentage of customers experience issues, providing great digital customer service can help you stand out from the pack.
Most people reported problems with trust, lack of knowledge and unnecessary red tape. All of these issues can be easily solved with customer service representatives that receive clear instructions and are trusted to provide solutions independently without having to always refer back to management. If your business works with a digital marketing agency that deals with messages, it’s important to keep an open line of communication and make sure you keep them updated about any new products, promotions or policy changes.
When it comes to social media, customers will often get in touch with brands using direct messages. In most cases, they will be redirected to someone else. If this person is a potential customer asking for extra information about the products, services or trying to make a purchase this extra step can mean the loss of business.
Are you only focusing on new customers?
It’s easy to only work on reaching new customers and always aim for more ‘likes’ and ‘follows’. But did you know that return customers spend on average 33% more than new customers? Repeat customers are also more likely to provide a positive review and refer new customers to your business. In fact, if your customer retention goes up by 5%, you could almost double your profit!

Brand switching is extremely easy in the current world of mobiles and tablets. Take too long to answer a message, refer them to an email address, or provide confusing information, and your potential customer will give their business to a competitor. Providing outstanding digital customer service will help you retain your customers.
When you’re busy making sure your business runs smoothly, it can be hard to notice online communications. Working with a digital marketing agency can relieve the burden and ensure no customer, or message, falls through the cracks.
If you’re looking for a trusted partner to manage your business reputation online, set up a free 30 minute call with our friendly team. We’ll show you all the different ways we can help you and explain the benefits of using managed social media solutions, messenger bots, mailing lists and blog posts to provide an outstanding experience for all your customers, new and old.