Social media has completely disrupted conventional advertising during the past decade. Yet social media platforms are useful for more than simply commercial promotion. Social media is an engaging area, as any company with a public profile can attest.
Instagram promotion and account growth without interaction with your intended audience is like paying for a one-way ticket to social oblivion.
Most customers not only hope, but also anticipate being able to contact a company’s customer service department directly through its social media profiles.
Your company needs an Instagram customer care plan if you’re one of the 25 million that has an Instagram account.
We’ll examine the pros and cons of responding to customer care inquiries on Instagram so you can make informed decisions for your company.
The benefits of implementing a social customer service approach on Instagram
The most common motivation for creating a business Instagram account is the hope that more people will discover and buy your stuff.
Maybe you weren’t quite so naive, but most companies and social media marketers don’t anticipate the kinds of responses they’ll get from Instagram users.
You’ll be losing out on a few tips and tricks if you don’t get it right, especially considering that 90% of Instagram’s 1 billion users follow at least one company on the network.
What’s the point? Here’s what the numbers show, then…
Individuals put their faith in internet reviews written by complete strangers.
In fact, BrightLocal2 found that 88% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations from friends and family. The majority of consumers (57%) say they have more faith in a brand if it has a high number of positive evaluations.
Companies who don’t have a plan for responding to criticism or showcasing favourable press are certain to lose control of the narrative surrounding their product or service.
The market rewards brands that demonstrate concern for their customers with increased spending.
If customers have a good experience with a company on social media, they are more likely to buy its products and services, according to a study by Bain & Company3.
You can guarantee a positive response from customers who contact you on Instagram by instituting a system that allows for efficient handling of their inquiries.
Everything you should know about customer service on Instagram
Without a solid plan in place, it’s easy to make a hash of things. Also, what is the foundation upon which the most effective techniques rest?
The power of knowledge, my companions. Your firm can only succeed if you keep up with consumer expectations and learn from the successful practises of similar companies.
Fortunately, I’ve got your back. Some guidelines for providing excellent support on Instagram are provided below.
Achieve the proper tenor
While chatting online, we like to keep things light, pleasant, and enjoyable. Instagram users are likely to be searching for a more casual and personable interaction with a company.
This may mean using emoticons or memes, or it could mean being nice in a more traditional sense, depending on the tone of your company. But, emoticons are undeniably important on Instagram.
Hurry up
Social media users have come to anticipate instantaneous responses. Even more so, 42% of customers want a response from a company within an hour. That’s not very quick, especially when you consider how long customers are ready to wait over the phone, but keep in mind that this 60-minute limit applies at all hours of the day and night.
Between 3 p.m. and 3 a.m., Instagram users have the same reaction time expectations. Furthermore, they frequently make contact beyond normal business hours.
To the point!
Instagram comments are small, so keep your responses brief. They don’t appreciate being met with a wall of words, whether it’s a comment or a message. You should respond in as few words as possible while yet adequately answering the question.
It’s important to know when to leave the platform
You will need to move certain Instagram inquiries off-platform if you have an omnichannel strategy or provide customer service via several channels. If a customer has an issue that requires immediate attention, you may wish to have them contact you through phone, email, or another support method.
To illustrate how complex it is, consider the fact that your agents have returned to the same conversation more than five times in an attempt to address the issue. That’s a lot of replies to a single remark.
Sensitive: either the consumer is really upset about the situation or your representatives need regular involvement from higher-level employees.
Too lengthy to enter in a chat window, like in the case where the necessary response to the question is too lengthy.
When exchanging sensitive information like email addresses, phone numbers, or payment information, it’s best to do it over a more encrypted method.
Please keep in mind that this does not give you permission to remove the first public comment or post that initiated the discussion. Acknowledge their point, and then invite them to continue the conversion somewhere else by focusing on finding a workable solution.
Put yourself out there
When customers need an immediate reaction from a company, they often turn to social media. Nonetheless, they like this method because of the individual attention they receive as opposed to that offered by other channels.
Posting or announcing the arrival and availability of each customer care staff is a terrific approach to add a more human touch and make the experience feel more personalised. To make things more intimate, you might include a photo of them to your page with their name, shift hours, and an interesting tidbit about them.
The summation
It’s no secret that social media has risen to prominence as a preferred channel for providing customer support. Instagram users have come to anticipate a reaction when they interact with a brand, and companies must keep up. If they don’t, they risk having the topic steered elsewhere, losing clients, and hurting their business as a result.