The following is a guest post by Bianca Buckridee, Assistant Vice President, Social Media Engagement at SunTrust

The client story I talked about in my Revolution YouTube interview with Brian Solis – the one about the mother who was unaware that her teenager was tweeting – is just one example of the many interactions my team has had with thousands of clients. It illustrates social’s real value: one-on-one engagement between a brand and a consumer. In today’s hyper-responsive world, something remarkable is occurring with the way businesses and individuals communicate with each other. There’s a new level of frank discussion occurring as consumers use social media to actively provide feedback. The concept of branding is also evolving as consumers expect to interact directly with brands – without a middleman. In response, companies are opening the gateway to their decision-makers.  

Our goal at SunTrust is to build out a new service channel that lets clients choose to experience service in a way that is both effective and convenient. It’s important that we enable our clients to experience the brand the way they choose and respond to them in a way that is authentic and timely. Thanks to social media, consumers have both the desire and ability to be heard at an unprecedented level. Brands should respond by taking the opportunity to demonstrate leadership by simply listening.  

It goes without saying that the first thing brands should do when looking to offer customer support via social media channels is to create a strategy. This strategy must be aligned with business objectives and in accordance with existing service processes. Using social as a bypass to resolution will result in increased customer frustration, and ultimately, require more resources to address. Some things to keep in mind when creating this strategy is a response framework (especially if you have multiple lines of business) and an escalation process for issues that are more complex.  

Below are five tips for brands looking to resolve customer issues via social channels:

1. Be proactive. Our team’s communication model centers on clearly defining the issue. Every interaction we have with someone begins with the question: what’s the ultimate goal of this interaction? Is it to share information, answer a service question or to empathize? If it doesn’t fit any of these goals, then is it going to lead to a frustrated customer? If yes, take a step back and reconsider.  

2. Perception is reality. Customer service support via social is the new face of marketing for many brands, especially when customers think they’ve been wronged. When a customer believes an issue hasn’t been resolved to their liking, they’ll often take to social networks. While their version of the event may differ from what has actually occurred, brands should be cognizant of word choice and their approach. Prospects are looking to see how you handle issues.

3. Know your channel and how to write for each network. Corporate lingo doesn’t work well in social channels. You have to work hard to find a happy medium that is professional, courteous and casual. Keep in mind that verbiage is fluid; expect it to evolve, especially on Twitter.

4. Apologize in a sincere way. It’s one thing to say you’re sorry, but listening to feedback, and responding in a way that shows you truly heard the feedback, can really diffuse a situation. Empathy is indispensable and humanizes the brand. Banking is a very personal matter, and we know that our customers are deeply invested in the management of their finances. Sometimes when they lash out it’s out of pure frustration at what may be going on in their life. That’s why we don’t take it personally. Our mission is simple: we are here to help, and our goal is to communicate that with each interaction.

5. Finally, be prepared to manage a crisis. Seemingly benign mentions can quickly turn into a viral campaign in the social court of public opinion. In your role representing a brand, the goal is to thoughtfully guide the conversation, especially among those trying to exploit it to their advantage. If customers are upset about a business change, that is your opportunity to share the “why’s” behind your decision-making and to help them understand the reasons. Also, have a plan in place that outlines who your stakeholders are and therefore who must be addressed immediately. You never know when hot topic issues will arise. (Hint: they usually arise over three-day weekends or at 2 a.m.).  

I’m excited to see how social customer service will continue to evolve in 2012 and am thrilled to be part of a new era in customer service!

Watch the full interview with Bianca Buckridee and Brian Solis on YouTube below.