As social media becomes more and more popular, being able to provide customer service on each platform is increasingly important. There are some really easy ways to integrate customer service into your existing customer service strategy that will make chatting with your team easier than ever.

Most social platforms offer some sort of direct messaging (DM) option, like Facebook Messenger and Twitter DMs. Providing your team with the tools to check those direct channels is like gold – it’s an easy way for customers to find your business without having to find your website’s contact page. At the very least, you should give someone on your team access to your social profiles so they can respond to the messages coming in there.

If you are using a customer service platform, like Intercom or Freshdesk, responding to DMs could be even easier. Platforms like these often connect directly to your social media pages, pulling in the direct messages so that your team can respond right in the app where they are already working. This makes response times quicker and seamless for the customer.

Many customer service inquiries come through comments on social media posts. Don’t overlook this to create an awesome view of your company. Why? A great response in a comment will not only help the inquirer, but it will also be visible to everyone that looks through your post comments. This is a very easy way to show potential customers that you’re worth doing business with!

Responses don’t always have to be lengthy, but they should be frequent. Something as simple as, “We love hearing that!” can be powerful. Try to respond to all comments, even your response is just a couple of emojis.

This is so very important. Make sure you are responding to all reviews, both positive and negative. Showing customers you care about keeping their business says a lot about your company. Learn more about responding to negative reviews here: How should my company deal with negative comments?

Endorsements: When someone endorses your product, pat yourself on the back! You made someone happy. 😄 Thank the customer and let them know you are grateful for their business and support. Ask if you can share their review on your social page (use the text copy, share a screenshot, etc), or see if they would be willing to share their review in another place that is more beneficial for you (Yelp, Google My Business, or wherever you collect reviews).

Complaints: This might feel daunting, but it is not as difficult as it seems. Our guide to responding to negative comments here should be super helpful.

@ Mentions: This is based more on circumstance than anything, but having a voice and tone in your brand guidelines is a must. Do you want your team to respond with graciousness? With friendly sass? With high professionalism? Give them some guidelines to follow when responding, or even some templates to form into their own unique and tailored responses.