Responding to users (also known as… people 😊) fast via online channels shouldn’t be any less important than taking their call immediately or making sure you have a staff member to assist them when they visit your showroom/store/office.
If a potential or existing client sends you a DM on Insta, leaves a comment on Facebook, let alone starts a live chat on your website – it should be a no brainer that this person must receive an immediate response.
Unfortunately, it’s far from being the case for many brands, of all sizes.
Here are (at least) 3 good reasons to do it:
- If you don’t, you might be missing on a sales opportunity. By the time you reply (Seriously? 48 hours?), the person will move on to your competitor
- It has a bigger impact than just missing this opportunity, you’re losing trust. On the other side you have a person thinking “If they’re not responsive *before* I bought from them, what will happen after I do?”
- Replying to people on social media specifically brings more engagement, which is something you always want (you reply, they reply back, other people see your reply, they want to “join the conversation”, etc etc)
Start treating community management as a priority. Take my word for it – only good-for-the-business things can come out of it.