Social media is an essential marketing tool for modern businesses, but it can also elevate companies’ customer service. It offers a way to provide great customer service around the clock. By handling client complaints and concerns on social media, you’ll show your customers how dedicated you are to keeping them satisfied and create a loyal customer base. Let’s take a look at a few strategies by which start ups can use social media as a clients’ service tool:

Build customer relationships

Don’t approach social media as just another channel for self-promotion and ignore your customers comments and messages. Respond. Be active. Use your social media accounts to build real relationships by engaging in conversation. While not responding at all can clearly have a negative impact on your brand, you also have to respond within a reasonable amount of time. You cannot expect your clients to stick around if you retort after days.

Use hashtags tactfully 

Hashtags help keep everything organized and easy to navigate. You can add more information and curate content to the hashtag as well. You can use a mix of three types of hashtags — content, trending and brand-specific. Trending and content hashtags can be used on a larger basis and brand-specific hashtags can be used for different campaigns.

Pay attention

When you respond to a customer complaint, listen closely to that customer.  It’s vital to pay attention and let them know you’re listening. A lack of attentiveness contributes to a poor response, which reflects negatively on your brand. People love being acknowledged and heard, that’s all you have to do. It lets your audience know that your brand is listening and receptive and that you care about your customers.

Set up a separate handle for customer service support

Having two different accounts can be very helpful for your business. That way, customer demands or concerns can be organized and flagged more easily. Additionally, your customer service team can get to work on issues quickly by focusing on that one account rather than having to categorize different issues surfing through a single account. Make sure you include a link to the profile in your main account’s bio to direct customers there for support. Also, you should respond to every customer service complaint or message, as it will show others how you address requests as well.

Social tools 

There are various social tools you can use to support your customer service needs: Messaging apps like Facebook Messenger so you can handle matters privately, Live chats since it provides quick responses from real live-chat representatives, Chatbots are perfect for efficiently addressing customer concerns as responses are immediate, so customers don’t have to wait around for a response and Tracking Systems which measure the impact of your customer service efforts on social media, telling you how long it takes for your business to respond to messages or resolve issues. That way, you can improve wherever necessary.

Because so many customers already communicate through social media, businesses of all sorts should invest in building out their social customer care efforts. However, to benefit from this strategy, you have to do it well; if you don’t manage your social media presence carefully, it can damage your brand and drive potential paying customers far away. When done right, it boosts your brand’s reputation and, if you do it strategically, it increases your opportunity to go viral and foster a unique brand voice.