Social media has become a vital component of any organization’s communication and promotional activities. Are there any other crucial use companies that are missing? A study by DMS Consulting Inc. (2021) found that over 70% of customer interactions on social media platforms were related to customer service. Gartner research has revealed that by 2023, at least 35% of customer service centers will integrate some form of community or social capabilities as a part of their contact center solutions. This key channel, however, requires a customized approach for quality monitoring and integration. Mainly because social media is fundamentally different when compared to traditional customer engagement channels. While engaging in public conversations, individual comments are available to a far-reaching audience. Employees who engage in these conversations are spokespersons and they assume responsibility to capture the attention of the audience and ensure accuracy of facts while they protect and promote their brand. 

Social Media in Quality Monitoring and Coaching

In order to know what kind of customer service experience your customers are having, you may choose to monitor customer service calls, emails, or chat channels. Social media usage can be monitored on the same lines. 

Establish Goals or Objectives

The first thing you need to do is be active in social media, acknowledge customer issues and also resolve them so you can elevate customer satisfaction other than determining areas of improvement. Customer care representatives require special skill sets, they need to be trained on when and how to respond on social media platforms. Their interactions might be unscripted at times but they still need to adhere to company policies. 

Evaluation Template - The Need for One

This is why an evaluation template that consists of skills (usage of electronic language, staying abreast with trending topics, gauging conversation tones, awareness of various abbreviations, etc) is necessary. It is also vital that agents have exceptional comprehension and writing abilities, and be savvy in the use of social media platforms (specific skills required for specific channels). Core skills such as identification if customer needs, ability to provide solutions, empathizing with customers need to be a part of the evaluation template. Apart from that, a social media policy should specify the nature of content employees are permitted to publish via social media. To sum up, social media interactions need to be evaluated, reported (real-time agent monitoring and recording capability might be required) and improvised (with coaching if required) on similar lines as other channels. 

Interaction is Key - Drive Agents to Interact in the Right Manner

There is no doubt that social media is changing the way that we as a society communicate, but interaction holds key to social media strategies. Hence, the quality of interactions on social media needs to be monitored closely and a quality score needs to be maintained so the brand image is not compromised with the introduction or usage of social media platforms among customer service agents. 

Identify and Align Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 

Monitoring and measuring social media Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) helps improve quality and performance too. From basic tracking (interactions in central customer records) to high-quality monitoring systems, the options will depend on the need to align social media strategies to business goals.

Value-Added Information

With innumerable sources of information already available, agents need to strive to provide information and support that adds value. They need to be trained on simple means of engagement which ensures that relevant knowledge and guidance are provided to the customer in a timely manner. For an organization, the ability to change channels seamlessly on a need basis also helps ensure social media engagement success. Employees should be willing to swiftly transmit vital information through social media channels and collaborate with colleagues so they can manage customer-related issues.

Connecting the Dots

Companies are always fighting the fear of negative brand exposure on social media platforms but today, the fear of missing valuable opportunities presented by this medium is greater. It is important for businesses to achieve end-to-end conversation tracking and also manage social media interaction to identify customer opportunities apart from resolving issues before they spiral out of control.