Real-time customer communication, or live response, is a proven solution for customer interaction, delivering higher returns on investment than other approaches, as well as improved customer response. However, to make the most from live response, the customer support team needs to be able to reach out to customers in a familiar environment they are used to. That is key to outstanding customer experience.

Whatever your audience is, you will likely find them on social media. Indeed, if we look at those numbers in a little more detail, we see that in America, 68% of adults use Facebook regularly, while a third use Instagram and a quarter are on Twitter. Realistically then, if customers are talking about their experience, it is likely to be on one of those social media platforms, simply because that is what they are doing about pretty much any subject, every day.

That familiarity is something that must be considered in any real-time customer communication strategy. For this, responsiveness in social media matters not just because that is where we find customers, but because it is where customers are comfortable. The platform, the interaction, these are things they experience daily, and so it is an acceptable way to communicate. But to take advantage of that familiarity, and the two-way conversation it enables, it is important to keep up with expectations.

Facebook is by far the most popular of al social media platforms, and with messenger, direct communication is both common and accepted. That may make Facebook seem the perfect solution, and Facebook is without question an important platform, because Facebook posts and information are a clear way of reaching any customer base. However, statistics show that Twitter has increased customer service interactions by over 250% in the last two years, showing it is particularly suited to customer support. That does not mean ignore the rest, all platforms should contribute to the overall customer support solution, but that we should always be aware of the platforms our customers like to use so that you always go where they are.

Live response solutions can be fed by maximizing responsiveness on social media, giving the very best customer experience across platforms. Social media provides the initial response that customers are looking for within a platform and framework they are very comfortable and relaxed with. In fact, 60% of customers expect a response within an hour on social media. In an overall customer response solution, engaging on social media is an essential way to build the relationship with customers that they will value and then guide them towards the live response platform that is proven to be effective.

It’s Time to Unify Your Customer Communication

One way to ensure that social media is part of the overall customer service approach is through a tool like Xeno, which unifies all communications on social media and other platforms, making real-time communications with customers much simpler, and importantly, allowing customer support teams to always respond on the platform the customer is most comfortable with.