Why it’s hard to measure social customer service

Faith Ocampo Published on June 3, 2016

businesswoman-in-blue-giving-up-throwing-arms-holding-notebook-coworkers-workign-in-back

The advent of social media is fascinating. Although these social networking sites were originally created to enhance personal relationships, they have now evolved as customer service tools.

Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are now among entrepreneurs’ top choices for customer care delivery and online marketing. These platforms provide brands and customers a convenient and straightforward means of connecting with one another.
The popularity of social platforms didn’t escape the radar of outsourcing companies. As such, they’re now often included in the array of customer services offered by most contact centers. However, almost all of these firms share the same burden: measuring social customer support.
Assessing one’s performance in social customer service has always been a vague area in quality monitoring and social media management. And because it’s a thorny spot, many businesses fail to pinpoint where they’re going wrong. The end-result? They often fall short of enhancing online customer experience.

But why should you bother?

Roughly 67% of customers go to Facebook or Twitter to seek assistance from brands. It’s not surprising, as these social apps are accessible via internet-enabled devices—mobile phones, which we carry everywhere, tablets, and the desktop. Owing to the nature of social media, which can easily be described as fast, fun, and friendly, customers have come to expect quick responses from brands. But their expectations don’t stop there. They want personalized services and effective issue resolution.

So without a solid, all-encompassing strategy to measure your performance, how do you know whether customers are happy with the customer service they’re getting? You need to tackle these challenges head-on to come up with a social media monitoring and assessment mechanism.

1.     It’s often integrated with other channels.

Typically, a contact center deploys multiple channels to reach customers. These channels must be integrated well with one another so that transactions can easily be transferred or escalated to a more appropriate platform. This integration is necessary if you want to be more flexible and speedy in attending to customers’ queries. However, it also complicates social customer support measurement, which leads us to the next point.

2.     You need to be precise.

Because you can’t completely isolate social media from other channels, you must come up with a very specific measurement approach. For instance, you can start with the little things that have a big impact on the quality of your services. Some of these are the following:

problematic-businessman-looking-at-laptop-shocked-female-coworker

• How quickly do you respond to comments and chats?
• What are the types of issues that can be resolved via social media? Are these issues being properly addressed?
• How long does it take for complex problems to be transferred to another channel? Are they forwarded to the right avenues?

The bottom line is that you have to know what you should be measuring. Break down broad processes into smaller, more precise functions so you can target and assess them one by one.

3.     Social media sites have a loose structure.

If you’re not that familiar with the interface, features, and functions of a particular social networking website, you can get lost easily between links and the mishmash of multimedia content. Knowing how these sites work will not only help you provide high-quality customer care, it’s also useful in social media management.

The first step to measure your social customer service performance is to understand the environment you’re operating on. This way, contact center managers will know where to look and what to look for. That will bring you closer to perfecting the customer experience you’re aiming for.

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 3 hours ago
It's easy to focus on tech skills and language when hiring #CustomerSupport staff.
But are we missing those other qualities that truly make a #CustomerExperience exceptional?

What hidden talents separate a good agent from a great one?

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 #𝗪𝗼𝘄𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 #𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗟𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆: https://buff.ly/QGNxaJG

——————————
Our recruitment, training, and quality assurance best practices have helped transform our partners' #BrandExperience.

Contact us right now for heightened #CustomerExperience that sets your brand apart:
https://buff.ly/Y50WgZe

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerExperience #CSat
#OutsourcingCX #CustomerService #CallCenters
#CustomerCentric #HappyCustomer
Open Access BPO 2 days ago
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀

Open Access BPO Manila recently hosted 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐛 on March 28th, bringing new experiences to its workforce.

This engaging session provided a hands-on experience designed to cultivate collaboration, creative problem-solving, and stronger communication skills among team members. By exploring the fundamentals of improvisation in a supportive environment, participants enhanced their adaptability and teamwork abilities – qualities crucial for effective partnerships and workplace harmony.

This initiative underscores Open Access BPO's commitment to fostering a dynamic and people-centric work culture, ultimately benefiting our partners through more cohesive and innovative service delivery.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
Ready to elevate your brand? Open Access BPO empowers you to unlock new opportunities and achieve scalable growth.

From customer support to back-office solutions, we're your partner in expansion.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 9 days ago
Call center managers are responsible for keeping operations running smoothly.
This means they also have to take note of the usual issues they need to keep at bay.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟰 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 #𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲: https://buff.ly/CCAZeNL

---------
Our industry expertise and the skilled workforce enable us to create exceptional experiences for your customers.

Call us today and let's start building the best team for your brand:
https://buff.ly/zQqgKkw

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#CustomerSatisfaction #outsourcing
Open Access BPO 10 days ago
The Holy Week is a time to renew our faith and find peace in reflection.

If you’re traveling to be with family or friends or venturing on a pilgrimage, do so with patience and caution.

Let's extend care not just to our loved ones but also to everyone we share the road with. May your journey be safe, and may this season bring you clarity and renewal.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOholidays #HolyWeek
#MahalNaAraw #HolyWeek2025
Open Access BPO 10 days ago
Given the substantial complexities of staff and project management, it is understandable that numerous team leaders underachieve or fail upon assuming this role.

𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 #𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 among your #CustomerService team leaders: https://buff.ly/9BhNb6G

——————————
Invest in your leaders, elevate your #CustomerSatisfaction.

For a #LeadershipDevelopment program that ensures high-quality #CustomerExperience and drives tangible business results: https://buff.ly/cAnQNot

#WeSpeakYourLanguage