Social, Meet CX

Up until this point, a lot of what I shared focused on how the brand leverages tactics or strategies to inform and support the needs of the customer. Social media, on the other hand, not just supports the needs of the customers — social is a direct line, the 2-way conversation with the brand and a customer. And, even so, I hesitate to say “the brand and a customer”. It’s person-to-person interaction, even though we have our specific roles to play.

Before we dive in, look at this:

44% of internet users aged 16 to 64 use social media as a primary source of information when they’re researching brands.

33.64% of organizations have a social listening program.

62% of organizations with social listening programs use them to understand their audiences better.

Source and another source

Customers know they can reach brands on social media, or it may be one of their first points of contact. Brands are aware of such a large segment dedicating resources and tools to not only the social listening but overall engagement and customer experience.

I asked a few experts in the space how they view the partnership between CX and social media, where they think this is going and how we can be better partners with our social teams to better serve our customers.

Where do you see the partnership between CX and social media going? Are brands already thinking about this and breaking down the silos?

Alicia Underwood | Founder | Principal Strategist | TwentyThree, LLC

Audiences are looking for more real-time interactions, which leads to more demand for immersive digital experiences that connect with the real world.?

Additionally, with AI playing more of a significant role in the digital sphere, there’s an opportunity for us to automate online processes and improve efficiency and accuracy in targeting new audiences.?

Jasz Joseph | Founder | Jasz Rae Digital

Brands now need a ton of social proof in the form of reviews, testimonials, clients who brag about them on social media, and more, just to stay afloat. Where does all of this social proof come from? Your customers, of course! Because of this, marketing and customer experience teams need to be in cahoots more than ever before... Companies need to have processes in place to survey their customers, capture that data, ask for reviews, grab testimonials, and more.?

Codi Dantu-Johnson | Freelance Social Media Strategist | Mini Media Marketing

I read somewhere recently that more companies are ditching phone operators and using chatbots to address customer needs. And with this new movement, we will continue to see the shift in how companies interact with their customers.

How can customer retention, CX, and marketers be better partners to the social media teams in organizations where they may be divided?

Alicia Underwood | Founder | Principal Strategist | TwentyThree, LLC

First and foremost, there needs to be radical transparency in shared objectives and goals across all departments. While the tactics and benchmarks may differ for each team, there must be a singular vision for the entire organization to buy into.

Creating a unified customer mapping journey and marketing funnels is imperative for success. That could include highlighting pain points, touchpoints, and opportunities for conversion and retention. By observing and integrating various digital perspectives, a collaborative approach can create a sustained customer experience, resulting in retention and a continued sales cycle.?

Jasz Joseph | Founder | Jasz Rae Digital

Customer-facing teams have an amazing opportunity to provide user-generated and/or testimonial content to the marketing team.

On the B2C side, I have to share a funny example of a company that does an incredible job with its user-generated content. Oats Overnight posted this video a few months ago in which they highlighted a few of their bad reviews and then ended it by saying "find out why 1M happy customers disagree." I thought this was such an awesome way to grab people's attention and brag about yourself in a fun, non-salesy way.

Codi Dantu-Johnson | Freelance Social Media Strategist | Mini Media Marketing

Social media teams should be included in CX meetings to collaborate with the CX team in addressing customer needs on social media. This makes for better monitoring and reporting of customer feedback, and teams can make informed decisions and take proactive steps to enhance the overall online customer experience.

In summation, as social continues to evolve and customer engagement climbs, the need for combining automation, like chatbots, with real-time interactions will serve greater organizational efficiency while delivering value to the customer.

And by encouraging proactive cross-collaboration within the business, the opportunity for highlighting customers, leveraging UGC and creating a more cohesive working environment will lead to greater CX (and social) success. Don't wait for a crisis. Instead, bring together a strategy that works in favor of your customers and have the conversation together before your customers possibly steer it in another direction.