Why Customer Service Needs Social

PV Kannan | May 14, 2013

Why does customer service need social? Many think that social is not a channel but an extension of customer service. But social is a full blown, standalone channel with consumers that connect. But while consumers have used it as a place to complain and whine it is not a place to get satisfaction. Customer service conversations in social sites get redirected to traditional channels where customer history and data are needed for proper resolution.

What consumers are eager to do with social is to use it as a tool. Consumers want to Explore, Learn, Share, and Provide. Consumers like to explore what is going on out there and find out what their friends are doing and buying. They like to learn about new things, like electric cars, gluten-free foods, and Google glasses. Consumers like to share what they have done. Whether it is talking about their new Android phone, their shirt from Urban Outfitters, or the best thin-crust pizza in town, they like to share. Last but not least, consumers like to provide advice. They write reviews like experts. They review the new French bistro, the latest iPad, and the new Star Trek movie.

[24]7.ai has an omnichannel vision to power multi-channel, multi-modal, and multi-device engagement. An omnichannel experience is where consumers interact across channels without losing the context of their situation. Enabling social as a consumer’s tool for interacting is our strategy for acquiring Shopalize. Our enterprise clients want to enable their customers to explore, learn, share, and provide, through social.

At [24]7.ai we are applying the real value of social to customer service and sales. Shopalize’s social commerce platform combined with [24]7.ai’s Customer Engagement Platform is an important piece of the omnichannel vision. Keep checking back. This is just the beginning of our story....