Social media: what this means for contact centres

The social media landscape has evolved drastically in recent years with the ability to remotely access Internet on the go. These advancements have changed how social media is perceived as it is no longer viewed as just a platform for advertising and marketing but rather a channel through which consumers implore and receive customer service. With the rise of technology, contact centres have seen a huge change within this space. Mobile devices have made it possible for consumers to engage with businesses across multiple channels.

"We all know that today's contact centres are not just about manning phone lines and responding to e-mails. Therefore, it is essential to have an effective omni-channel solution that enables customers to switch from one method of communication to another without any disruptions. Whether it's voice, live chat, Web forms or via an app, having a consistent level of high-quality service is key," explains Henry McCracken, Regional Sales Director for Aspect Software South Africa.

While many companies have left the task of managing channels such as Twitter and Facebook to the marketing team, it has become an area for transformation. "More users are using social as their first port of call when they want to raise a complaint or customer service issue which means that it is now more important than ever to bring this into the contact centre," McCracken adds.

Recent studies have proven that social media is no longer a field that should be overlooked as a key customer service channel in today's always-connected environment. It has also been reported that companies that do not respond effectively in a reasonable time frame via social channels are likely to lose customers. Thus, companies that place a large emphasis on this by making it a key part of their omni-Channel strategy are likely to do a better job of keeping their customers happy than those who do not.

"As social media is a public forum, other consumers are able to see whether a business responds quickly to complaints or concerns. Even an initial acknowledgment and an invitation to continue the conversation on a more private channel will leave a positive impression of the company," McCracken explains.

Successfully integrating social is more than just simply responding quickly to direct questions. "With the right software, contact centres can use smart filtering solutions to easily identify the posts that matter, ensure any queries are swiftly redirected to the most appropriate agent and addressed effectively, and lastly avoid issues such as duplicate responses," McCracken concludes.