How to Use Social Media As Your Restaurant's Customer Service Tool

In today's mobile first, social media obsessed world, many people would rather text or email someone than call them. Most people also prefer to get their news and other information online. The same goes for customer service--especially over social media.

It started off as people going online to vent frustrations about bad meals, lazy service, canceled flights or products that they weren't happy with. But some savvy brands have realized that good can come from interacting with people who post complaints online. Today, customer service is evolving to match the rapid growth and development of new communication media, and the most popular social media platforms are the perfect opportunity to capitalize on that trend.

Using social media as a customer service tool, and turning dissenters into advocates in a public way, can be fast, easy and accountable. As a consumer, you get heard by everyone and receive rapid service. As a brand, you can prove you care, go the extra mile and that you are listening.

Here are four tips for implementing effective social customer service for your restaurant.

Reply as quickly as possible.

One of the greatest advantages of using social media as a customer service tool is its immediacy. When people are upset, or when they need answers to their questions, they want a response right away. They don’t want to wait 24 hours for their email to be read, sorted, and responded to. They don’t want to wait on hold for 30 minutes. It's best to get back to a comment or complaint within five minutes, when possible. The faster, the better.

Let the customer know who they are engaging with.

Humanize the experience by letting the customer know he or she is speaking with a real person. Customers usually appreciate knowing they're dealing with a person who has a name, rather than a mystery person who's sending automated messages.

Reply in a friendly and helpful manner.

Let the customer know you are concerned and will do everything you can to help them. This is an opportunity to not only help someone but to win additional customers.

And remember, never be aggressive, dismissive or mean. And don't try to hide or manipulate the issue. Social media is a public forum so everything you post can be seen by anyone. This kind of transparency can be a good thing, too. For restaurants, transparency means that other potential customers get to see how well you handle the situation. If you can answer a customer’s concerns quickly, nicely, and effectively, you’ll instantly leave all of your followers with a good feeling—confidence that your customer service is top-notch.

Use feedback as fuel to make improvements.

Monitor all interactions and carefully take note of what people are unhappy about, no matter how small certain complaints might seem. Receiving negative feedback is never easy, but think of it as unique and unfiltered insight that your restaurant can learn from and ultimately utilize to be the best version of itself.

Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.

How to Use Social Media As Your Restaurant's Customer Service Tool

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