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How often do you respond to messages and mentions from your customers on social media? How quick or slow is your response time?

It is true that we all desire to establish a connection with our customers and get back to them promptly when the occasion arises. But the reality is that social responses can be tough. Many brands are often bedevilled with the inability to address issues raised by their customers as soon as possible, and this has cost them a lot. If you are in the habit of not responding quickly enough on social media, you have got to stop it. In this article, we will discuss why prompt responses are necessary for the growth of your brand and how to speed yours up.

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What should be the average response time on social media?

If you are not aware, the majority of your customers expect a same-day response from you on your social media platforms. Therefore, it is expected of you to respond in a timely manner. You need to pay attention to your speed when it comes to responding to your customers.

Why does a prompt social media response matter so much?

If you purposely ignore your customers, they will lose interest in your brand. There are going to be implications if you fail to send them timely responses. There are also going to be implications when you increase your response time. The reasons why brands need to prioritize social media as a customer support channel include the following:

Customers rely on social media for support. A social media response is quicker than emails. Customers might want to avoid the awkward back-and-forth of a phone call, so they prefer social media as a communication channel. They will likely turn to social media for answers.

If your responses are quick, you are bound to win more loyal customers. Customers are more likely to stick with a brand long-term when they receive constant feedback for every concern they raise.

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A quick response time gives you an advantage over your competitors. Speedy customer service will definitely distinguish your brand from the others in your industry. A fast social media response time will prevent customers from going after your competitors.

Ways to speed up your social media response time

You might be asking yourself how to go about speeding things up in terms of responses. Well, find below the various ways to make it happen?

Merge everything into a single platform: If you are active across multiple social media platforms, you will have to reply to many messages, questions and comments across each of them. Now, finding time to reply to these messages on the various platforms can be frustrating.

The easy way out of this problem is to consolidate your social communications into a single platform.

Use automated replies

If you notice that a particular question about a particular product of yours is usually asked by new customers, you could try to make an automated reply. Having saved and automated replies handy can help you take care of questions like that without having to write them out all over again. Having automated responses will be your time-saver.

Direct your customers to the right social media channels if they need help: Help your customers to know the best way to get in touch with you. They need to know if you prefer to respond in their inbox, or if you exclusively provide support via email, support page or a separate social account.

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Create chatbots

You too can invest in chatbots to engage with customers as they visit your website. Chatbots help to showcase your knowledge base, and to address basic and frequently asked questions.

Know which of your social mentions is urgent

That said, it is important to prioritize your social mentions; some mentions and messages are more important than others. When there is a viral problem on your platforms, it is advisable that you look at your mentions and pick your battles wisely. You have to decide what needs your attention right now.

Improve your average response time

You could consider the available social media metrics that will encourage you to improve your response time. Start by actively tracking your response metrics, and with that, you can say for sure where you stand.

In conclusion, the faster you respond to your customers and followers, the better. With the tips discussed above, we hope that you would be able to plan a perfect social media response time that will work well for your brand.

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This article was first published on 11th May 2022

ernest-chigaemezu

Ohia, Ernest Chigaemezu is a writer, editor, and grade teacher based in Jos, Nigeria.

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