How to Provide Exceptional Customer Support on Social Media Platforms?

Social media platforms can be used as powerful customer experience (CX) channels. They allow businesses to interact with customers in real-time. Using them, your support team can address queries and resolve issues through direct messaging, comments, and posts. With these platforms, you can build customer trust, boost satisfaction, and improve brand loyalty.

Before social media became popular, customers had to call or email a business and wait a long time for a response. Now, people can reach out to businesses directly on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). A recent study shows that about 67% of customers find contacting customer support on social media convenient.

So, have you migrated to strong omnichannel customer support yet? Be aware that good customer service on social media platforms is now not optional for businesses. It is mandatory! Through them, you can offer your customers quick and helpful responses and make them feel valued.

So, want to build a strong reputation and gain customer trust? In this article, let’s understand what social media support is and the eight best practices your customer support team can follow.

What Is Social Media Support for Customer Service?

Social media support means helping customers on platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram. Most businesses use these platforms to answer customer questions and solve their problems. 

Communication on social media platforms​ makes customer service more personal and engaging. That’s why people prefer messaging a business on social media instead of calling.

Ideally, to provide great support on social media, your agent team should:

• Reply to customer messages as soon as possible (preferably within 24 hours)
• Always be polite when talking to customers. 
• Listen to customers’ concerns and respond with kindness.

In the next section, let’s learn how you can build stronger relationships with customers and improve your business’s reputation through best practices. 

8 Best Practices for Social Media Support

Do you know? About 80% of consumers engage with brands through social media. Thus, your customer support agents must follow some best practices to deliver excellent customer support. Let’s check them out:

1. Pick the Right Platforms As Per Your Audience

Please note that not every social media platform works the same way. Also, different customers prefer different platforms to communicate. Thus, as a business owner, you should always choose the right platform based on your customer’s preferences and the nature of your product. Check out the table below:

In this way, by choosing the right platform, you can easily connect with your customers where they are most comfortable.

2. Tell Your Agents to Use Visuals 

Many people find it easier to understand information when they see images or videos instead of just reading text. By using visuals in customer support, your team can make solving problems much simpler. 

For example, say your customer is confused about setting up a product. Now, your support team can:

• Share a short video tutorial to guide them through the process. 
• Send screenshots when explaining where to find a setting on a website or app.
• Add a GIF or a friendly image to make customer interactions more enjoyable (especially when dealing with frustrating issues).

By using visuals, your agents can provide faster and easier solutions. This makes your customer service more engaging.

3. Create a FAQ Section on Social Media Platforms

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section can save time for both your business and your customers. Instead of answering the same questions repeatedly, you can:

• Create a list of common concerns 
• Post them on your social media pages

For example, let’s assume your customers often ask about your return policy, delivery time, or how to use a product. Now, you can post the answers to these questions on Facebook, Instagram Highlights, or Twitter’s pinned posts.

Additionally, regularly update your FAQs. This ensures that all the new and relevant questions are covered. Also, add links to your FAQ section in your bio or customer service messages. This can direct people to the information they need and reduce wait times.

4. Give Canned Responses (But Wisely)

Canned responses are pre-written replies. You can use them on social media platforms to answer common customer questions. This saves time and ensures consistency. However, they should not sound robotic or impersonal. To smartly use this approach, you can:

• Use them as a starting point 
• Customise them based on each customer’s query

For example, say a customer asks about your return policy. Now, a canned response can provide the basic details. However, you should also personalise it with their name and specific order details. This makes the interaction feel more genuine. 

Ideally, you should train your team to modify canned responses for different situations. When used correctly, canned responses improve response times while maintaining a friendly and personal tone.

5. Perform a SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis helps you understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your customer service strategy. Let’s see how:

As a business owner, you should regularly review these factors to improve your social media support. For example, if many customers complain about slow responses, you may need to allocate more resources to customer support.

6. Train Agents on When to Take Things Offline

Social media platforms are great for quick communication, but some issues require a more private approach. If a customer needs to share personal information (like payment details) it is always safer to handle it through:

• Direct messages
• Emails
• Phone calls

Similarly, complicated problems that need detailed discussions should be moved offline to avoid confusion. As a best practice, always explain why a transition is necessary and outline the next steps clearly. 

For example, you can reply, “We’d love to help! Please DM us your contact details so we can assist you further.” This ensures customers feel supported and not ignored. 

7. Make a Specialised Social Media Support Channel

If your business gets many customer service requests, you should create a separate social media account for support. Instead of handling both marketing and customer service on one account, you can set up a dedicated support account, like “@YourBrandSupport,” to better manage customer queries.

This ensures that customer concerns don’t get lost among promotional posts. Ideally, you should mention your support handle in your main account’s bio to guide customers. However, some people might still ask for help on your main account. In that case, politely redirect them to the support handle for a quicker response. 

8. Integrate a Support Chatbot for Routine Queries

For the unaware, a chatbot is an automated messaging system. You can integrate it with your preferred social media platforms to answer common customer questions instantly. It can be active 24/7. This makes it highly useful when your team is unavailable.

Also, you can use chatbots to reduce the workload on your team by handling routine queries, like:

• Business hours
• Order tracking
• Refund Policies

However, make sure that complex issues are transferred to human agents when needed. If a chatbot cannot solve a customer’s problem, it should direct them to a real person for further assistance. 

For example, 

• Say your customer asks, “How do I return my order?”. Now, the chatbot can provide return instructions. But, if the customer has a unique issue, the chatbot can suggest contacting support. 

By correctly using chatbots, you can improve response times and provide round-the-clock assistance. 

Pass Your Omnichannel CX Headache to Atidiv!

By providing exceptional customer support on social media platforms, you can build trust and maintain a strong brand reputation. However, to do so, you should select the right platforms and:

• Use visuals and chatbots
• Create FAQs and self-help guides
• Try out canned responses

Additionally, you should perform a SWOT analysis to identify improvement areas and train agents on when to take conversations offline. 

Want to partner with a leading omnichannel customer experience outsourcing agency? We at Atidiv offer omnichannel support and ensure seamless customer interactions across Facebook, Instagram, and X. With 24/7 availability, we let your customers receive instant support. 

Associate with Atidiv today and boost your customer’s experience and satisfaction levels!

FAQs On Social Media Platform

1. How can I manage high volumes of customer queries on social media platforms?

To handle high volumes, you should try using a mix of:

• Chatbots for routine queries 
• Human agents for complex issues

You can also set up a dedicated social media support account and start using canned responses. Also, prioritise urgent queries and train your team to respond with a personal touch.

2. What if customers post negative feedback publicly?

To deal with this situation, you should acknowledge the issue politely and try to resolve it through direct messages. Also, avoid deleting comments unless they violate guidelines.

By following a professional tone and giving empathetic responses, you can show that you care about customer concerns. This can turn a negative experience into a positive one and build trust in your brand.

3. How fast should my business respond to customer queries on social media platforms?

Ideally, your agents should respond within 24 hours. Remember that faster responses increase customer satisfaction. If an immediate resolution is not possible, acknowledge the query and give a timeframe for a follow-up. 

You can also use automated responses for after-hours inquiries. This ensures customers feel heard even if support isn’t available immediately.

4. How can I reduce repetitive questions from customers?

You can create a FAQ section on your social media platforms (including pinned posts or Instagram Highlights). Also, use chatbots to provide instant answers to common queries like return policies and order tracking. 

This reduces the workload on your team. At the same time, it ensures your customers can find information quickly without waiting for a response.

5. When should I take a customer conversation offline?

Ideally, you should move conversations offline when dealing with:

• Sensitive information like payments and personal details
• Complex issues that require in-depth discussions

To transition, your agents should politely ask the customer to continue the chat via direct messages, email, or phone to ensure privacy.