10 Companies That Totally Rock Customer Service on Social Media

By Brittney Helmrich

The way you interact with your customers can truly make or break your business. Especially now, in the age of social media — word spreads quicker than you can imagine, and all it takes is a few bad experiences to ruin your business's reputation.

To keep up with the times, it's important that your business has great customer service, and even more so, an engaging social media strategy that's equipped to handle customer service issues as well. Don't just let your Facebook page or Twitter account be a place to share your content — make it a platform where your customers and readers can feel comfortable reaching out to you (good or bad), knowing that they'll get a response.

Not sure where to start? These 10 companies do a great job of managing customer service on their social media accounts. Follow their lead, and you'll be rocking social media in no time.

AirAsia

Airlines are no stranger to customer complaints, so it may come as a surprise that AirAsia (and JetBlue, too) has made this list. However, AirAsia's Facebook presence is outstanding, and the company goes the extra mile to make sure they reply to as many comments as it can — and with close to 3 million likes, that's a lot to keep up with. AirAsia responds to customer inquiries with helpful Web pages and advice, and is always friendly and personable in its replies, whether it's the middle of the work day or the middle of the night. The company also runs a lot of fun promotions, like its "Free Seats Challenge," which gives 12 winning customers a year's worth of free seats on flights.

JetBlue

JetBlue understands how important it is not only to engage with happy customers, but to quickly problem-solve and respond to customers who are dissatisfied with their service. Sure, it's easy to share good feedback on your page, but a few wrong moves can do serious damage. JetBlue makes it a point to respond not just to customers who @mention them, but to customers who talk about the brand in general but didn't tag it in the post. This means that the company's social media team is likely tracking and monitoring keywords and relevant hashtags as well, so they can find and respond to more customers — a key strategy that every company should be using. [Great Customer Service Is Key to Free Publicity ]

Nike

With more than 4 million followers on Twitter, to say Nike has a huge social following is an understatement. The company recognizes just how important customer service is, especially on social media, which is why Nike created a separate Twitter account just for responding to customer inquiries and issues: @NikeSupport. Nike Support is dedicated to all things customer service, making it easier for customers to reach out when they have a problem or a question they want answered. And Nike Support is very active, and like other companies with great social media customer service, very quick to respond. If you look at the account's Twitter feed, you'll see replies every few minutes. This shows customers that they can trust Nike to provide them with the help they need, when they need it.

Seamless

If you're not already following Seamless on Twitter, you should change that right away. The popular online food service company has one of the best social media strategies out there. Seamless' Twitter account is fun, amusing and foodie-friendly, and shares everything from mouth-watering food photography to hilarious food puns and memes. The company also frequently shares discount codes on its feed. Beyond that, however, Seamless has a stellar customer service strategy, and is very quick to respond to complaints or website errors. Your lunch order is an hour late? Not to worry — tweeting at Seamless will almost always garner a response and they'll help you figure out where your food is as soon as they can. Website down? The company's social media team lets all of Twitter know when it will be back up, or at least that they're working on it as fast as they can. And if you have positive feedback to share, Seamless will also respond with a great sense of humor — they'll probably even follow you back, too.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock does a great job of sharing engaging and relevant posts on Twitter — especially photography — but the stock image company's social media presence is more than just a feed of clickable content. Shutterstock's social media team makes it a point to interact with others who share relevant content, and handles both negative and positive feedback quickly and with grace (and even a sense of humor when appropriate).  Shutterstock also lets users know what department the company is sending their feedback to so they know they're contributing to change. For example, in instances when users find mistakes in photos, Shutterstock's social media team responds and also passes the information on to the artists, so the images can be fixed and resubmitted. The company has also been known to respond to users with amusing stock images, the way other Twitter users might share GIFs or memes.

Starbucks

Starbucks knows how to rock both Facebook and Twitter in terms of customer service. The coffee giant is active and quick to respond to customer questions and complaints on its Facebook page, and is engaging and fun with its customers on Twitter, too. Starbucks knows when to bring the personality to its replies, and when to hold back and be professional, showing customers that the brand is both personable and dynamic. And, like Nike, Starbucks also started a separate Twitter account called @MyStarbucksIdea as an additional way to engage with customers. This account, while less active than Starbucks' main Twitter account, is a place where customers can submit and discuss ideas to make Starbucks better.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is known for being engaging with customers across its social media platforms, and for having a pleasant and personable social presence. Additionally, a 2012 study by social media insights company socialbakers showed that T-Mobile responded to 86 percent of the questions it received on social media (over 2,500) over a three-month period. This means that T-Mobile makes it a point to respond to the vast majority of the customer inquiries it receives. The mobile phone carrier is also known for taking advantage of its social media fan base when it comes to searching for new employees, too, taking T-Mobile's social presence far beyond simple customer service. And, members of T-Mobile's social media team sign their Twitter replies with their names, so customers know they're talking to a real person.

Walmart

Walmart has more than 34 million Facebook fans, so you can imagine that keeping up with the comments the company's Facebook page receives is no easy feat. However, scroll through any comment thread on Walmart's posts, and you'll see numerous responses from the company, both to positive feedback and customer complaints. And while the retail giant sees complaints often, the company always responds in a friendly and professional manner as often as possible, and works with customers to solve their issues or direct them to someone who can be of more assistance.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods' Twitter presence is truly one to admire. The company shares everything from healthy recipes to relevant news stories, and hosts Twitter chats, too. And even with nearly 4 million followers, the company manages to respond to Twitter users in a fast, fun and friendly manner. Whole Foods also knows how to get its followers talking about the brand on social media, too — it frequently sends out calls to action, asking Twitter users interesting questions or encouraging them to share recipes or pictures.

Xbox

Xbox may be all about gaming, but the company doesn't play around when it comes to its social media strategy. In fact, Xbox (which also has a separate Twitter account for customer service purposes, @XboxSupport) holds the Guinness World Record for most responsive brand on social media — yes, that's a thing now. Xbox's Twitter team really knows what they're doing. In the account's "about" section, Xbox clearly lists the hours during which the team is available to respond so that users know when they're more likely to get an answer. And with nearly 2 million tweets sent out to date, there's no question that this brand takes pride in its quick and efficient response times. But just because Xbox Support is efficient, doesn't mean it's not fun, too. The Twitter team knows how to be friendly and helpful in tandem. 

By Brittney Helmrich, Business News Daily Staff Writer

10 Customer Service Solutions for Small Businesses

By Sara Angeles

Excellent customer service is critical to running a successful business. But gone is the era of phone-only support. These days, customers expect support to be convenient and fast. This means being available wherever they are, whether that's on Twitter, Facebook, email or your website, and whether they're getting in touch via their smartphone, tablet or an old-fashioned phone call.

From help-desk services to live chat, social media and mobile support, here are 10 customer service solutions for your small business.

1. Freshdesk

Teamwork is key to excellent customer service. Freshdesk is a help-desk platform that lets customer support agents work together to deliver the best level of customer service possible. When a help ticket is opened, all team members can see the ticket and the customer. Freshdesk can show you which agent is working on the ticket and its status, customer information and communications, internal notes about the issue and more. This way, if customers call back and different agents are assigned to tickets, they can easily get caught up quickly to resolve issues. Freshdesk also comes with service level agreement (SLA) options for your customers, which helps you prioritize tickets and gives them an idea of when they can expect a response. [3 Ways Customer Service Has Changed (And How to Adapt)]

Freshdesk starts at $16 per agent per month. A free version is also available, but is limited to three agents; each additional agent costs $15 per month.

2. Zendesk

Sometimes, customers need one-on-one help; other times, they'd rather solve issues on their own. Zendesk is all about putting customers first. It features both an easy-to-use multichannel ticketing system — which organizes all email, Web, social, phone and live chat communication in one location — and a customer self-service portal for customers who prefer to troubleshoot issues themselves. Zendesk can also help you build more meaningful relationships with customers with its customer engagement feature, a platform that gives you access to key data and insights to improve performance and deliver personalized customer support.

Zendesk starts at $1 per month per agent and is limited to email ticketing. More comprehensive plans start at $25 per month per agent.

3. Desk

Want to make customers happy? Desk can help with its fast, efficient customer support system. Designed specifically for small businesses, features like universal inbox, case management, productivity tools and workflow automation help you stay organized and speed through help tickets without compromising quality. In addition to phone and live chat customer service, Desk includes unlimited Web, email and social media (Twitter and Facebook) support. Agents can also access the platform and help customers on the go with the Desk app for iOS and Android.

Desk starts at $30 per agent per month. An advanced plan is also available for $135 per month per agent, which lets you customize your plan and includes enterprise level features.

4. HappyFox

Support tickets don't create themselves. From phone calls and chat to email, social media and Web inquiries, HappyFox can take help requests from multiple channels and automatically convert them into tickets in an organized, efficient help-desk system. The platform can also help you deliver fast customer service by identifying common issues and grouping related cases, as well as split tickets among multiple agents for more complex problems. Additionally, HappyFox integrates with a wide range of business apps — including Google Apps, Salesforce, SugarCRM, Insightly, SurveyMonkey and FreshBooks — to streamline customer service with the services your business uses the most.

HappyFox costs $9 per month per staff member for startups, or $19 per staff per month for small businesses.

5. ClickDesk

Want to provide on-demand support on your website? Try a live-chat service like ClickDesk, so customers can get the help they need as they browse your products and services online. ClickDesk offers three types of live-chat support: instant messaging, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) voice chats or video calls. Agents can manage all of these in the ClickDesk help-desk portal, where they can handle multiple conversations and stay organized to give customers a great experience. If agents don't like the portal, chats can also be taken via Google Hangouts.

ClickDesk starts at $16.99 per month. A free version is available, but it's limited to one agent and voice chat.

6. Olark

Live chat helps you with more than just customer service; it can also help you boost sales. Olark uses live chat to give businesses an opportunity to close sales before customers click away. Agents receive multiple chats, as well as prioritize them — for instance, to prevent shopping-cart abandonment. It also provides detailed customer information to help agents with the sale, such as browsing histories, how long customers have been on your website, contact information and whether they are returning or new customers. Olark also integrates with many third-party business products, such as Salesforce and Magento, to streamline customer service with the rest of your operations.

Olark starts at $15 per month for one operator and includes all core features. For more operators, check out the Gold plan for $44 per month.

[For a side-by-side comparison of the best live chat support software, visit our sister site Top Ten Reviews.]

7. My LiveChat

If you're not sure if a live-chat solution is right for your website, try a free service like My LiveChat first. It offers key functions available in paid services, such as multiple tickets, chat transcripts and real-time visitor monitoring, as well as pre-written responses to save agents time. My LiveChat is also highly customizable, so you can personalize chat windows with your own colors and branding. The software can be accessed over the Web and on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

My LiveChat is 100 percent free. Paid plans, which eliminate the My LiveChat branding and give you email reports, start at $15 per month.

8. Sparkcentral

When customers have a problem with a company, many turn to social media. Sometimes, they'll sound off to their followers; other times, they'll tag or mention you to get your attention. Get a handle on social media customer service and respond to issues with Sparkcentral. This social media support platform features an engagement dashboard to help agents quickly resolve issues and improve response times, a reporting and analytics portal to track metrics and productivity, and real-time collaboration tools to automate workflows and share knowledge to help customers as a team. 

Contact Sparkcentral for pricing information.

9. Parature Facebook Portal

Expand your social media presence by providing 24/7 customer support on Facebook. The Parature for Facebook Portal provides a comprehensive, personalized support center right on your Facebook page. It lets customers submit help tickets, get live-chat support, access a FAQ section and find updated information, all without leaving Facebook. This way, customers can get help directly from your support team and the resources on your Facebook page, instead of posting about their issues on your Facebook wall.

Contact Parature for Facebook for a price quote.

10. Helpshift

Does your business have a mobile app? Use Helpshift to deliver customer support right from your app. This in-app messaging platform lets you help customers on mobile devices, so they don't have to go to your website, search for answers or make a phone call. Helpshift makes getting answers as easy as texting, thus giving customers a better customer service experience that works for them. Features include image and video attachments — for instance, customers can send screenshots to show you their problem — push notifications, analytics and the ability to customize colors, fonts and other branding. Helpshift supports iOS, Android, HTML 5,Unity, Cocos2d-x and PhoneGap apps.

Helpshift starts at $20 per month for up to two team members and 20,000 monthly users.

By Sara Angeles, Business News Daily Staff Writer

The Four-Letter Words That Could Sink Your Customer Service

By Nicole Fallon

To provide the best service, businesses must be "customer-obsessed." / Credit: Customer service image via Shutterstock

Are you getting four-letter words from customers? No, not expletives. Rather, these four-letter words are short, nondescript answers like "fine," "good" and "okay" when you ask your customers about their experience with your business.

Jim Knight — a business speaker, consultant and training expert with more than 30 years of service industry experience — believes those types of customer responses are red flags when it comes to evaluating customer service.

"We live in a world of acceptable mediocrity," Knight told BusinessNewsDaily. "In every industry, people are just going through the motions of customer service. They do just enough to get by. It doesn't matter what people are selling — unforgettable, memorable service always trumps product, price, convenience, etc." [The Best Customer Service Personality Trait]

To succeed in customer service, Knight said, a business must be "customer-obsessed." Businesses should genuinely want to listen to their customers and provide the best service possible. But it's even more important for businesses to differentiate themselves from the competition, he said.

"Customers crave differentiation," Knight said. "If everyone is vanilla, be the chocolate."

Knight offered three more tips for improving customer service:

• Go beyond average. The baseline for service has been raised. Average is no longer good enough — it's forgettable. Ask customers specific questions about their experience, and listen for words like "fine" and "okay" that scream mediocrity, and then ask what you can do to make their next experience better.
   
• Keep up with your competition. Business owners should keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry, to understand what their competitors are doing. They can then use that knowledge to do something more unique. Always network and look for opportunities to figure out how you can be a step ahead.
   
• Hire the right people. Building the right team from the start is vital to great customer service. Look for candidates who are the absolute best people for the job and who also genuinely care about providing great service.
  

 By Nicole Fallon, Business News Daily Assistant Editor

4 Steps for Handling a Customer Service Crisis

By Nicole Fallon



Where there are customers, there are complaints. As much as you'd like to hope that no one will ever be unhappy with your product or service, you're almost guaranteed to encounter at least a few customers who are less than fully satisfied.

As consumers increasingly air their grievances about brands on social media, the focus has turned to the way those brands respond to customer complaints, especially in a public forum. Knowing what to do in this situation makes all the difference when it comes to re-earning a customer's business — and what he or she tells others about your company.

"Great service is about getting your customers to trust you and count on a consistent experience, but that doesn't mean you're always going to be perfect," said Eric Schiffer, CEO of DigitalMarketing.com. "In a crisis, you can elevate your stature [with] how well you handle the situation. A negative experience can be the best time to show your value." [6 Social Media Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid]

If you're faced with a negative customer experience, Schiffer advised following these four steps to resolve the issue and regain the customer's trust.

1. Acknowledge the problem. The classic customer service cliché says that the customer is always right. While it may, in fact, turn out to be a misunderstanding, the worst thing you can do is dismiss a customer who tells you he or she had a problem with your business.
    
2. Apologize for it. Once you've acknowledged the customer's issue, apologize for it and ask what you can do to help. Gather the facts about the situation, and determine a course of action from there.
    
3. Take action. Saying you're going to fix a problem is one thing; actually doing it is another. Make sure you honor your commitment to take care of the customer's complaint. If you can't correct the problem, offer a coupon or voucher as a way to ask the customer for another chance.
    
4. Follow up. When you've done what you promised to do, follow up with the customer to make sure that your solution was satisfactory.

No matter which person on your team is responsible for handling customer relations, it's imperative that you embody excellent service as the head of the company as well.

"Great service has to come from the top," Schiffer told Business News Daily. "Lower level employees aren't going to be inspired and motivated unless they see their leader providing exceptional service."

Article By Nicole Fallon, Business News Daily Assistant Editor