Social media as the world’s largest customer service channel
Blog: Capgemini CTO Blog
In 2018, the number of social media users worldwide reached a bewildering 2.62 billion and is expected to reach 3.02 billion by 2021.[1] Clearly, the age of social media is upon us.
It is with no surprise then that businesses around the world have heavily invested in social media marketing to bolster their sales. As social media is where customers are given a medium to connect and engage with companies, it has become increasingly important for companies that wish to be successful to establish a good reputation on these platforms. Companies such as Zappos, Whole Foods, Dell, and Gap actively connect with consumers on various social networking sites.[2] Businesses have even created their own YouTube videos to promote their own products. These marketers understand the gold mine that is social media.
The internet is vast and there are numerous social media platforms to keep track of. As the companies grow larger, the community of customers also grows exponentially. Eventually, it becomes impossible to keep track of the thousands of tweets and posts that are uploaded every minute. The solution? Software powered by an artificial intelligence (AI) to comb through the mountains of valuable customer feedback.
Sentiment analysis
Sentiment analysis is the process of an artificial intelligence analyzing the intent behind a text. With sentiment analysis, the artificial intelligence can monitor social media, allowing for an overview of public opinion on certain products/services or the company itself. Sentiment analysis is a powerful tool that, if utilized properly, can pinpoint areas of improvement within an organization by garnering social media criticism and mapping them to the source of the issue.
Reduce operating costs
Leveraging an artificial intelligence to handle customer service through social media channels reduces the need for a customer care call center and therefore reduces operation costs. Furthermore, social media has been rapidly becoming the go-to platform to voice complaints and to seek resolution of issues. An estimated 67% of customers now turn to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook rather than call a customer complaint hotline.[3] As call centers become the less likely customer service portal, companies must now reroute their resources to monitor social media platforms. By 2020, it is estimated that 90% of businesses will use social media;[4] if so, there is no reason not to implement artificial intelligence to manage customer feedback.
Real-time resolutions
Once a complaint is received and analyzed by the system, it is classified and the severity of the complaint is determined. An alert is triggered depending on the level of severity and the proper representatives are notified. Or, if the AI determines there is no need to escalate the issue, it can resolve the issue independently. With AI, the categorization and notification stages of the process can be done instantaneously, allowing for lightning-fast solutions.
Of consumers on social media:[5]
- 60% of those who complain expect a response within an hour
- Engagement over social media results to a 20–40% increase in spending
- 88% of customers who experience positive social media interactions are nearly three times more likely to recommend the brand.
The potential for leveraging artificial intelligence and the benefits that smart algorithms in businesses provide are undeniably significant. Having a social media channel has proven to be successful in marketing but having AI manage the social media channel further improves upon the success. As the world advances, businesses must adapt and incorporate new technologies to facilitate growth.
For acquiring the full benefits of embedding social media into business marketing, the usage of artificial intelligence is a must. Connect with me on social media to take this conversation ahead.
[1] “Number of Social Media Users Worldwide From 2010 to 2021 (In Billions),” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/, accessed August 2, 2018.
[2] Richard Hanna, Andrew Rohm, Victoria L. Crittenden. “We’re all connected: The power of the social media ecosystem,” Business Horizons, Volume 54, Issue 3, 2011. Pages 265–273. Accessed August 5, 2018.
[3] Masroor Ahmed, “Social Media Customer Service Statistics and Trends.” Social Media Today, https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/social-media-customer-service-statistics-and-trends-infographic, accessed August 6, 2018.
[4] Masroor Ahmed, “Social Media Customer Service Statistics and Trends”. Social Media Today.
[5] Ibid.
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