Social MediaA few years ago when social media first launched, it quickly transitioned from the ‘social’ world to the ‘business’ world. Many of us jumped on board, recognizing the huge benefit of being able to self-promote our brand with no advertising dollars. The effects were immediate, and the term ‘viral’ became something to be desired – not avoided.

We quickly learned that there are many sides to social sharing.  Just as people are quick to share their good experiences, they are often quicker to share their negative ones. For businesses this is a double edge sword, and one that must be managed and addressed.

So what do you do when your customers take to social media with complaints?

Customer service expert Micah Soloman states, “If your social responses are inferior to—or not integrated with—your other channels, they’re hurting your brand.” His recent article in Forbes Magazine, Social Media Customer Service: Expert Rules You Ignore At Great Peril, offers some great advice on the importance of integrating social media into the customer support experience.

What we do know is that providing stellar customer support is becoming increasingly challenging. Culturally we have become programmed to expect immediate results, so presumed resolutions times are shorter than ever. We must be open and utilize every channel where our customers are if we are to keep pace with providing the very best support.