 Go, girl. You go, Neely. 33% of people prefer to contact a brand or a business like yours via social media. Listen. Listen to me. Ha ha ha. Welcome to The Journey. I'm Neely. And I'm Emma. And today we're talking about five ways to boost customer service with social listening. So Emma, what's the first tip you got for us? So first off, I just want to give a big shout out to social media and why. I know we both love it, is because it's public. It's quick. 33% of people prefer to contact a brand or a business like yours via social media versus any other way. I know. I'm a huge advocate for that. I don't want to talk to literally anybody on the phone. But I had to contact my cable company. And they had the option of just tweeting at them. And then they sent me a DM. And I got help through Twitter DM. And I didn't have to talk to anyone. Fantastic. Yeah. So I just want to set the stage there. OK. But first off, I know you teach this pie to your daughter all the time. The biggest thing, listen. Listen to me. It's a tough lesson. It's a tough lesson. So first off, listen. And your customers, they're out there messaging you on Facebook, mentioning you on Twitter, leaving reviews on Yelp. So customer service tip number one, listen to them. Don't ignore them. You wouldn't do that if I walked into your shop today. And I was like, hey, Justin, you make a really great cup of joe. I love coming here. Justin, I love coming here all the time. Thank you so much. You know what I mean? You don't ignore that person. You don't. You would acknowledge it like this. Hey, what's up? I love coming here. Your cup of joe is the best in town. I've been coming here for three years. I love it. That is so awesome to hear. I appreciate you coming in. Bingo. So listen. And then that leads us into tip number two, always respond. Yes. Always respond. Even the negative comments always respond. What are your tips with responding? So be very personalized in your response. And definitely do it in a timely manner, which is tip number three. Because you don't want to let it just hang out on your page because more and more people are going to see it and wonder. Do they exist? Are they alive? Are they still in business? Where are they? Exactly. Like, why isn't this person responding? That's your customer service online. So again, do it the same as you would in your business. OK, so when it comes to responding, I know I said do it in a timely manner. What is timely? Yeah, what's timely? There was a study, because we nerd out on this stuff all the time. There was a study that said two out of three consumers respect a response. Guess. Just guess. Guess? Yeah. Within? I cheated. I know the answer. He does this a lot. 24 hours. 24 hours. And if you're on Twitter and you get a response there, they actually expect it within two hours. It's crazy, right? Crazy. So the point is be timely. So we've talked about listening. We've talked about responding. And then of course, responding in a timely manner. That leads me to number four. Ask questions. This is a great chance to get to know what's working and what's not working, what your customers love value, maybe what they want you to work on. Right. Take the criticism. It can help you in the long run. Feedback is a gift. Feedback is a gift. Yes. And so when you ask questions, you're, again, social listening to help improve your brand and also what you want to do at the end of the day, your mission statement. 100%. So what's the very last tip, number five? Well, OK. So number five, I've kind of mentioned, when I was talking about responding, when Nealey and I were chatting, but number five is because we've got a place emphasis on this. This is huge. Be personable. So when I say be personable, because you're great at this, not to forget on the spot. When I say personable, what would be some best practices that come to mind to you? Just guess. Honestly, it's just being you, right? Everyone else is taken, be you, that whole cliche. Just give them a response from the heart, not just a quick, hey, thanks, or OK, or see you next time. You're on the right track. Also, use their name. When that customer is taking the time to respond to you, respond back, and use their name. I mess up his all the time because he goes by Justin, but he also goes by Nealey. I know all you viewers out there. I think called worse. You go by Nealey. But either way, I use one of those names. So I'm being personable. Also include any details that they included. So if they went into your car wash and they talked about how efficient it was, it getting a spot free rinse, and all the amenities that you have, or they go to your salon, and everyone was so personable, and they got a complimentary glass of champagne, and they love that about it, well, include that detail when you respond back. And that shows that you're actively listening, which really ties it all in, all five. It's like a circle. And just a bonus for you. Sometimes someone may not mention you directly. They may not tag your business. They may just be venting on social media or talking about you on social media. There's a site called Google Alerts. You can literally go in and put your company name in. Every time it's mentioned on a website, you're notified. So that way you can respond and listen and make sure that you're top of mind with their business. That's wild. I know. And it's good. You should know what's being said about you out there so you can act fast. Good or bad. Good or bad. Also, when thinking about being personable, which I know you all are, you local heroes out there, also include questions, but thank them. Thank them for the feedback. It goes a long way. It goes a very long way. And in addition to that, apologize. If necessary. That's huge. Apologize if necessary. You never want to take full blame, especially if you don't know the entire situation. Apologize for their experience. Apologize for the way they're feeling. And then see if you can make it right. All right, that's a wrap. You've learned five ways to use your customer service through social listening. And if there's something that we didn't cover that you think is incredibly important, let us know in the comments below. Like this video, subscribe to the channel and ring that bell if you want to get these episodes first. This has been The Journey. Thanks for watching.