Twitter is changing eCommerce customer service. Nearly all brands are on the Twitter platform for marketing purposes but most aren’t doing the 1 thing they should be doing. Social Listening, a term I was first introduced to by Dave Kerpen, author of Likeable Business.
When conducting this analysis I learned that brands are not responding to their brand mentions, taking too long to respond and just not being human.
Nielsen and McKinsey & Company published their findings from a Social Care Survey in 2012.
- 47% of all social media users have used social care, with usage as high as 59% among 18-24 year olds
- 71% of those who experience positive social care (i.e., a quick and effective brand response) are likely to recommend that brand to others, compared to just 19% of customers that do not receive any response
- Nearly 1 in 3 social media users prefer to reach out to a brand for customer service through a social channel compared to over the phone. (I am one of them), and when posing the question to my Facebook friends a ton had also engaged with brands via Social Media.
With over 70% of eCommerce brands still without an effective twitter customer service strategy. Let’s honor #CustomerServiceWeek and examine how some of the top brands are running their social care centers.
Constructing your Twitter eCommerce Social Customer Care Center
Before hiring or outsourcing your social care team think about what you want to accomplish on the Twitter Platform. Take time to listen and see what customers are saying about your brand and your competitors, and start benchmarking so you can track your progress every week or month.
You will want to set your customers expectations, since most customers on social media expect responses in less than 24 hours, Twitter even more demanding as 50% of customers expect a response within an hour. You will want to avoid any mishaps or your customers will end up punishing you.
Organize a Game Plan For Twitter Social Care
- How many hours per day will be committed to Twitter customer service?
- How many people will be on the Twitter customer service team?
- Will you have a separate Twitter handle for customer service needs?
- How will you measure success?
eCommerce companies including Bonobos and Zappos have customers praise them every day in a public forum stating how grand their experience was with the brand.
This results in a huge return on investment, not only are they retaining first time buyers and turning them into lifelong customers, their happy customers are free billboards becoming brand ambassadors and recruiting new customers for them. According to an American Express Survey 3 in 5 Americans would try a new brand for a Likeable eCommerce experience.
Rather than reinventing the wheel take a look at how some of the most successful eCommerce companies are doing it. ASOS.com, Bonobos, Zappos, and Nike. From the research I gathered writing this article these companies are known to deliver superior customer service.
ASOS.com is a huge British online fashion and beauty store with nearly 1 Billion in sales last year their presence on twitter has 5-year history. The best form of research truly is social listening and it seems as if a lot of ASOS’s customers are upset with how their packages are treated, especially the ones paying for the premier service who are waiting a week for them to arrive.
With talks about an acquisition from Amazon, any marketing blunder could potentially damage the deal and lower their price per share. Their mishap with the premier delivery customer remains unseen on their ASOS marketing Twitter. It’s definitely wise to have 2 twitter handles, one for customer service and one for marketing.
How ASOS.com uses Twitter For Marketing
Great example of ASOS.com using contests that drives customer engagement in choosing what discounts they want to receive.
Fun and trendy tweets, leading to an quiz on their site. Well played ASOS, well played.
Using trending news from the red carpet to get customers to take a look at products. Kudos.
How ASOS.com uses Twitter For Social Care
ASOS.com uses Twitter to get customers to send a direct message via Twitter a practice about 6% of eCommerce companies employ.
Customers paying for the next day service are experiencing some issues but ASOS keeps the communication going leading Ipek to Direct Message (DM)
Seems as if their customer service team is overwhelmed.
This customer was not too pleased when arriving to find their package in plain sight under the rain. This Tweet had over 10 comments and favorites about missing packages.
If there is one thing I have learned, it’s don’t piss off a blonde girl waiting for her clothe to arrive.
Though ASOS.com is supposed to be known for their customer service I did not see any personality in it’s social care tweets. No customers praising, basically just order taking. Though this all remained separate form their main Twitter and will not tarnish their brand unless it continues and they don’t resolve their issues with premier service.
Bonobos did one thing right, they made a better fitting mens pants and now they are moving onto other products and even a women’s line AYR. Bonobos practically invented social care. Their CEO Andy Dunn always has interesting and thought provoking words of wisdom about eCommerce. Tweeting from @Bonobos and @Bonobosninjas
How Bonobos uses Twitter For Marketing
If there is one thing you take away from this article it should be to be hilarious like Bonobos. Their customer service personality and culture reflects their twitter social care responses.
Maybe I am a nerd but I literally can’t stop laughing at the conversation between Mr.Clean, Brawny and Bonobos.
So Jared tagged Bonobos and the Ninjas respond with some Notorious B.I.G reference! You guys are too hip, you can’t get mad at hip customer service.
How Bonobos uses Twitter For Social Care
Customers know to contact the Ninjas, the Ninjas are there for them and they don’t stand for hogwash.
Customer forgets to order 2 day shipping and gets his order routed to his destination. The man needs his pants!
While listening for the Bonobos brand on Twitter their ninjas has the same flare their marketing team had. I did not see any complaints expect some Europeans wanting to be as stylish as the folks from New York.
@Zappos, Zappos CEO, @Zappos_Service
Zappos is so good at what they do they even scared Amazon, whom acquired them in 2009 in an all-stock deal worth about $1.2 billion. Their customer strategy is flawless it’s a lot harder to get mad at someone on the other end of the computer when you can put a face to him or her. They become personable. Tony Hsieh their CEO encourages employees to be active on social media and leads by example by being one of the most followed on Twitter with 2.8 million followers. Zappos uses Twitter to generate over 1200 conversation per month with it’s customers.
How Zappos.com uses Twitter For Marketing
Zappos loves to show off their amazing culture! Who doesn’t love hammocks?!
The best form of marketing is telling stories, not your stories but your customers’ stories.
More amazing culture, I think anyone who loves yoga is jealous of the Glow & Flow Yoga Event.
How Zappos.com uses Twitter For Customer Service
Zappos Retweeting another great customer service experience
When was the last time you had a customer service call that was so good that you felt compelled to tweet about it?
Another thing you should takeaway is to show your customers that you are human. Zappos does a fantastic job with that. I met 15 Zapponians in a matter of minutes. Lluvia, Brendon, Kim, Franki, Rick, Mary Lee, Chris, Ashley, Justin, Kristen, Blake, Matt, Kelly, Synna, Courtney and I are all best friends. You can’t get mad at your best friend for long.
Nike is just a different beast. Founded in 1964 and earning revenues of over 25 Billion last year, there are over 100 dedicated handles from different countries, and every sport in existence repping the Nike Brand.
How Nike uses Twitter For Marketing
Nike does a great job curating their niche brands content and retweeting the best ones.
Not bad with 1.4k favorites and retweets.
Celebrity endorsed marketing was practically invented by Nike. This one seeing 1.3k retweets and 1.6k favorites.
How Nike uses Twitter For Social Care
Conducting a couple hours of investigate work on Twitter that even Sherlock Holmes would be proud of I found no issues related to products but most Nike Support tweets were about the Nike Running App.
You never stop we are just trying to keep up, what a fantastic response!!
Nike leads the customer to an online resource rather than to Twitter Direct Message. Typical for 20% of eCommerce companies.
Customers who experience problems with the app can have their runs entered in manually by support. Great service!
Twitter was not made for customer service but customers expect it. Even a quick response leading to another resource does wonders.
It’s crazy how only 32% of the top 100 eCommerce companies had a dedicated twitter handle. Can you imagine ASOS’s twitter being filled with customer service complaints?
Starting at $35 a month per agent there are dedicated services including Salesforce Desk utilized by Bonobos and other top brands that make Twitter Customer service much more manageable.
So as an eTailer you can get this set up and running this week.
- Create your customer service twitter handle
- Find the fun and spunky staff to handle it
- Define how you will measure success
- Start Delivering Social Customer Service
If you have any examples of extraordinary social care or an experience with a brand online please do share, in the Google + or Facebook comments below.
