Social media is a very powerful channel which can help with the development of company image. But businesses have to be attuned to it in order to benefit from it.

“The customers have come to expect the right answers to all their questions, concerns and suggestions. The faster service, the more loyal and trustworthy the company will be.

Social media is a public forum

With social media, one can now connect with friends, family and people whom you may never otherwise have come into contact with. Desktop connectivity to bulletin boards, email and live direct message discussions gave people the power to start anonymous online communities that morphed into international organisations.

Only in the last few years have the world’s biggest platforms transformed into full-service channels and customers responded by demanding response times on questions, concerns and complaints – businesses found themselves in new straits.

The faster you can respond and have an escalation mechanism, the more service-minded companies seem and build their reputation. For potential customers, by visiting PNC Bank’s Facebook page they are shown how the bank takes customer complaints and addresses them, converting prospective buyers into customers. It can also serve corporations in very highly regulated sectors where unjustified reactions would tarnish their reputation.

Customers expect immediate responses

Companies that are not timely and respond to the consumers’ social media questions, risk their customers and brand. If customers do not get taken seriously by brands, their disappointment can be communicated to the world via social media or a conversation with friends and relatives, making an ugly dent in the image of the company.

Brands that have built a solid brand understand the complexities involved in handling social media customer support but are not afraid to serve their customers and outdo themselves in every aspect. The company is Zappos – a company who engage their clients, especially with a friendly manner.

If consumers contact brands, they’re looking for an answer, be it through a direct message or a public thread. You expect one in three hours for private messages about complaints.

It’s a platform for word-of-mouth

The way companies handle customer service is public and the bad experiences no longer live in a bubble of email and phone call, but on social media with potentially disastrous consequences for the brand. On the other hand, good public relations can bolster its reputation and loyalty.

You can be a company who responds to the customer’s complaints as soon as they arise but it can also backfire. instead companies need to address the issue and provide high enough satisfaction, and keep in touch with the customer base.

Social media is also a fantastic way to spread word-of-mouth marketing and win new customers and grow the number of customers for a business. Customers can talk about products and services, leave reviews, recommend or endorse brands, get entertainment, news and career opportunities around the world – giving brands a leg up on their competitors because they reach customers directly like never before.

It’s a competitive environment

The way that humans have communicated and shared with one another since the rise of social media more than 20 years ago. And unlike traditional communication, with such platforms consumers can also share their opinion about products or brands freely — something that can especially hurt reputational companies.

Customers go on social media to reach out to the companies for anything from simple questions and comments, to issues and they expect the problems that they have to be resolved quickly and in a reliable manner. Facebook posts also go viral too soon, further destroying a brand.

As social media operates 24 hours a day, companies need to have a team ready to answer the customer’s questions 24/7 on all of them. This will help companies differentiate from others and garner audience trust as well as understanding customers’ needs and opinions, data that can then be used for future decisions and customer service improvements.