Executives and small business owners are increasingly using social media as a marketing tool. Corporate executives are building brand awareness and launching new products to highly targeted audiences. Small business owners are recognizing the budget-friendly marketing value that social media offers for those who lack the resources for heavy advertising.

The business value of social media, however, offers more than marketing. It provides an environment for gathering market intelligence and building loyalty with critical customer bases. It also provides an effective tool for customer service.

Customers have developed a jaded view of traditional customer service channels, such as call centers staffed by anonymous workers with little knowledge of the product they support. Using social media for customer service allows a clearly indentified person—possibly the owner if the company is a small business—to respond in a personal manner and in real time. That kind of customized and intimate responsiveness has proven effective at building customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty for both large corporations and small businesses.

Comcast is an excellent case study of a company effectively using social media in this capacity. Some of the company’s customer service representatives are dedicated to responding quickly to customer complaints on Twitter. Unlike call center reps, these folks have names—Comcast Bill, Comcast Melissa, Comcast Will, etc. I used the service when my Internet connection was problematic. After I posted a comment online, Comcast Bill responded to me with a series of questions and personally followed up. I wasn’t bounced from one call center rep to another. My Internet connection was soon back to normal, and I was a happier customer. 

It’s not just large corporations that use social media as a customer service resource. In some ways, small businesses have even greater opportunities to build loyalty.

Joi Dreams, a single mom who runs a beauty salon in Alexandria, Virginia, uses Facebook as an operational hub for her business—setting up appointments as well as accommodating clients who need to reschedule. She also uses the page to interact with her clients socially, cracking jokes, responding to questions and comments, and building personal relationships. The result is loyal customers who post praise for her salon that even the best advertising couldn’t match. 

In the social media world, marketing, operations, and customer service are blending in ways that simply weren’t possible with traditional communications channels. Social media is fast, personal, and flexible. It will take a new outlook and a willingness to step into unfamiliar territory, but customers are increasingly coming to expect it. Is your company prepared to meet those expectations?