Reputation, leads, response times. These are all an essential part of social selling.

The internet and its capabilities are constantly expanding, and as business owners, we need to stay on top of the game.

Rule 21 is all about getting ahead of the curve and remembering that your customers come first. When you are trying to conquer the world of social selling, what exactly do you need to be doing?

In this quick yet detailed guide, I’ll be taking you through just that.

The Need for Speed

There are different types of speed, and this first section is all about social media and customer complaints.

The time it takes you to react has a massive impact on their overall satisfaction, and their willingness to use your company again after their complaint has been addressed.

It’s not just speed, though; it’s being everywhere all the time.

Let’s take a look at some statistics to really put things into perspective. We can start with phone and email services:

• 67% of those who call in with complaints are happy with the response time
• 75% of telephone complaints are handled by a 24/7 phone line
• 61% of those who email with complaints are satisfied with the response time
• 52% of email complaints are responded to within 24 hours; a poor result

How about social media? Considering what a huge and popular platform is, you’d think the response times would be pretty fast. Prepare to be surprised:

• 32% of those who complain on social media are happy with the response time
• 63% of complaints on social media are addressed within 24 hours; still too slow
• 39% of those who complain on social media expect a response within 60 minutes
• 88% of those who complain on Twitter are happy with the response time
• 71% of social media complaints are on Facebook
• 17% of social media complaints are on Twitter
• 5% of social media complaints are on Instagram

Quick Reactions solve RT for Real-Time

Think of it this way; every website visitor is a potential customer, and you need to get in touch with them before they decide to leave.

Some companies use the phone; others have a live chat option that pops up while you are browsing. Both are valid forms of communication, and they are quick real-time responses. It can lead to as many as 125% extra leads; that’s huge for any business.

Speed has an impact on more than one area though, as does reacting quickly to real-time situations:

• 90% of customers read online reviews before visiting the website
• 67.7% of purchase decisions are impacted by reviews
• 22% of business can be lost by one negative review that has been handled poorly or not at all
• 93% of users never go past the first page of search results

You can use social media analytics tools that are able to track mentions in real-time. This means that you are always one step ahead of everyone else.

Personally, I use Brand24 because they are such an efficient tool. Plus, the dashboard is exceptionally easy to read and access so that I always know what is happening. The 21-second rule can also be used in social media audits as the 2019 KPI metric starts to gain traction via social channels.

Chatbots and Social Selling

An example of a conversation with a chatbot. 

Chatbots are another effective technique for fast response times, but you should always be wary of them as a solution.

If the chatbot leads you to loads of different places without truly giving you an answer, it becomes frustrating for the customer and ends up wasting their time….

…and you guessed it, they will go somewhere else.

If you want them to stay with you and buy from you, you need to alter your chatbot accordingly.

Slack is a great example of this because their bot sends you helpful messages to remind you of pending chats, or just to give you advice when you’re stuck. The company has expanded on this concept and launched an external API enabling developers to build their bots for Slack, accessible via Slack’s app directory.

One of the more talked about integrations has been Taco Bell’s announcement that it is working on a Slackbot of its own ( named Tacobot) which will not only take your order, but will do it with the same “witty personality you’d expect from Taco Bell.”

Customer demand for such a service remains to be seen, but it hints at the potential for brands to leverage Slack’s platform and growing audience.

National Geographic also has a new TV show called Genius. It chronicles the lives of famous figures such as Einstein and Picasso, and the show’s Facebook page showcased a Messenger bot that was able to converse with visitors using the voice of the featured Genius.

As an example of this, before the Einstein episode aired, page visitors who sent a message found themselves connected with Einstein. The bot replied with information about the show, as well as little quips about relativity and other topics studied by Einstein. 

National Geographic’s Genius bot; a new and innovative way of providing information. 

Having pop-ups for callback options and live chat are also fantastic examples of good and speedy customer service that they are sure to appreciate immensely says Eric – founder of Explainify.

They can even appear after working hours so that customers can schedule a convenient call for the next day. They feel appreciated, and you are offering fast customer service out of hours. 

There are also some great cloud-based solutions that can make the calling process much faster and easier for you. Added speed and convenience is good for you and your customers, so it’s worth checking out a few of the top names for a little more information:

• Aircall
• Kixie 
• Cloudtalk

An excellent example of a callback option. 

Better Safe Than Sorry: P is for Prevention

88% of customers do research before they buy.

People want to know that they are investing in something worthwhile, and they consult an average of 10 sources before they commit to the product they want from the company of their choice.

It’s known as the “Zero Moment of Truth”, and it is part of the path that leads them to buying instead of walking away. 

“In many ways, we’re a million miles away from creating the search engine of my dreams, one that gets you just the right information at the exact moment you need it with almost no effort,” — Larry Page

Sentiment analysis is a big thing here as well. What is it? Basically, it scans the web for mentions of your business or products, and you can learn if the emotional tone behind the text is positive, negative, or neutral.

It is an important part of learning what people think of your business so that you can improve yourself and learn from past mistakes; as well as see what is working for you.

It deploys a machine learning algorithm to make sure that things are updated and scanned with as little time and effort from your end as possible; a pretty handy tool to have. 

So how do we prevent them leaving and make sure they stay?

Well, high search engine rankings are pretty important. Customers are more likely to trust those that appear among the first results when they search. SEO and UX on your website are key factors within this, and they can really boost your rankings.

Customer reviews are also a big deal because others are going to read these before anything else.

Consumer reviews are actually trusted more than 12 times over manufacturer descriptions, so you really do need to think about the way other people are viewing you. You should also address the negative comments quickly so that you can be seen as someone who cares about all feedback; not just the ones that suit you.

Prevent an outcry, take care of your customers.  

Más Vale Prevenir Que Curar – I’m Sorry, What?

A phrase commonly heard from either end of the customer service line, but also something you are sure to say yourself while reading this next batch of stats.

Sales aren’t easy, both for the salesperson and those they are selling to. These stats are important, if a little surprising, so keep them in the back of your mind:

• The average sales rep makes 52 calls a day
• It takes 18 dials to connect with one buyer
• Call-back rates are less than 1%
• Less than 24% of emails are opened
• Over 50% of buyers consult third parties before the company salesforce
• Only 17% of web-generated leads get contracted
• 73% of executives prefer to work with someone referred to them by friends and family

Quick Responses Mean Better Retention

What about leads? These are pretty important as well, and they also need quick responses. Retention is everything; whether you are communicating with other businesses or customers. 

People want to see that you care, and it is interesting that smaller Saas companies actually have faster response times than larger ones. Especially as the latter tend to employ more people for the task of customer support.

Let’s take a look at some of the key business response statistics:

• Healthcare: 2 hours, 5 minutes
• Telecommunications: 16 minutes
• Small businesses: 48 minutes
• Large businesses: 1 hour, 28 minutes

The faster your reply, the more likely you are to obtain the lead, but there is more to it than that. The time of day can actually have an impact on your success rate.

Replying to leads between 4 and 5pm is 109% better than between 11am and 12pm. So yes, speed is important, but timing is everything.

Remember as well that work hours are better than out of work hours because people are less likely to check their mail when they are home and relaxing.

To Conclude

I hope that this has provided you with valuable insight into the world of social sales for Saas.

It’s not always easy, and neither are the customers, but it is worth the effort in the end.

Taking good care of every customer, whether negative or positive, only ever has a good impact on your business. It shows that you respect their opinion, that you care about what they think and feel.

Customers want to know that a business can relate to them, and that they are there to listen and rectify any issues. Just look at the statistics; it’s all clear. 

Want More Social Marketing Goodness? 

Facebook Page Likes: How to0 Get 1,000’s for FREE

The Psychology of Sharing: The Top Reasons People Share on Social 

The Complete (Step-By-Step) Guide to Winning Facebook Ad Creatives and Copy

• About the Author...

Milosz Krasinski

https://miloszkrasinski.com

milosz@chillifruit.com

Throughout his career, Milosz has been consulting and devising growth sand tactics for small and start-up businesses, particularly within financial services. His focus areas include search, link building, page speed, and overall digital strategies. Prior to the acquisition of Chilli Fruit Web Consulting, Milosz has been involved in Plus Guidance (an early-stage UK tech start-up, now acquired) and Sigma Digital Marketing Agency based in Oxfordshire.