Guide: How to use automated tools for Social CRM

#HowTo Here is a platform-centric guide to set up an automated social CRM system that would address and resolve a substantial chunk of queries and complaints generated online. Twitter Quick Replies to Facebook Automated Response, here's how you can set up a social CRM unit…

Customer retention can be difficult especially now where consumers are aware of their needs and spoilt for choices in a clutter of products, this is where the significance of Social CRM comes in and this guide will direct you through it.

Exhausting *please be on hold while we connect you* wait time, rounds of transfers through various departments, unsatisfactory resolution, and 'May I please speak to your Supervisor?" chats have already been a reason why social media has been a go-to platform for a grieving consumer; the tendency of users resorting to these platforms to seek support has increased due to the digital takeover of our lives.

While several brands have aced Social CRM, the ecosystem as a whole may not have grasped its increased importance despite COVID-19 disrupting the KPOs, BPOs, and the whole traditional CRM industry that is currently affected by phases of lockdown, and may permanently be impacted by the pandemic.

Sachin Karweer, Business Head, HGS Interactive mentioned, "While most Indian brands are now on social media, not all are leveraging their Social CRM at an optimum level. Some brands have a strong strategy in place for social responses and crisis management, some are on the verge of transforming and some are thinking about it".

Along with handling consumer queries and complaints, Social CRM can also help to extract a significant amount of data that can be used to formulate marketing campaigns and advertising strategies, along with increasing conversion rate contributing to sales.

Prakash Gurumoorthy, Partner & M.D, Asia Pacific & Japan, BORN Group said, "While initially only name, age, gender, occupation, and location were the raw data that could be obtained from a CRL tool, now with social CRM it's easy to obtain more detail on customers, such as their social behavior, social liking, marketplace preferences, etc which can be integrated with a CRM strategy to personalize the site and campaigns for each customer".

While it would be best to have a trained team of professionals, the volume of queries or complaints can often be overwhelming and it would be preferable to manage this influx with automated tools available on almost all major social media platforms.

Twitter - Quick Replies

Brands and businesses on Twitter can use Quick Replies to resolve problems and answer queries through automated experiences by replying to Direct Messages and providing a list of prompts to consumers. Quick replies can be used by select partners using the Direct Message API. The feature can only be created through an approved ecosystem partner, and businesses would need to contact their solution provider for access.

The two main types of Quick Replies - Options Lists that allow a business to provide consumers a list of (maximum) 20 options with standardized replies containing structured and expected responses. You can include a maximum of options.

And, Text Input, enables businesses to display hint text in the text field that prompts someone to provide a response the brand may be expecting. Both types cannot be jointly used and the business would have to choose either of the two.

Pizza Hut managed to create a social ordering and response platform through this tool and simplified the online ordering experience by enabling consumers to get speedy information and track their orders. The tool would help brands and businesses from all industries to maintain an automated conversational experience with consumers and guide them through their pre and post-purchase consumer journey by easing out the process of communication for them.

However, it is important to take context into consideration when using Quick Replies. There have been instances when an automated thank you reply went out for a complaint tweet as the AI picked up on the keywords but missed the context. Keep an eye out on the AI replies, take immediate human action where needed.

Also Read: Guide: How to leverage Live Audio for marketing

Instagram - Automated Replies

To set up an automated CRM system on Instagram, the business would first need to identify FAQs and common queries their consumers may have. As Instagram is a visual platform, it is also important to understand and include a considerable amount of product-related queries that may lead to a potential purchase.

Product-related FAQs, queries around services offered, cost of purchase, delivery and payment options, active hours, and similar topics may be commonly touched upon, and businesses can draft generic answers and integrate them into quick replies.

How To Create Automated Replies

• Tap the Quick reply (three-dot chat bubble) icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap New quick reply to write the response to be saved
• Add the shortcut that can be entered for the response. For instance, you can add the shortcut "hours" for the response, "Our opening hours are 9:00-17:00 Monday-Fridat and 10:00-18:00 at weekends"
• If you have previously answered a frequently asked question, you can also save your response as a quick reply. Open the message thread where you've previously answered a frequently asked question. Tap and hold the message you want to save – you can edit the response and shortcut before saving it
• Once you've added a response to your quick replies, you can just add it the next time you get a frequently asked question. Tap the Quick reply (three-dot chat bubble) icon at the bottom of your screen and choose from one of the responses you've integrated, or type the shortcut for the quick reply you want to use

Facebook - Automated Responses & Inbox Suggestions

Facebook Business can allow a business to manage communication across Facebook and Instagram and set up an interaction system with consumers who reach out through a business’s Facebook Page, Messenger, and/or Instagram account.

Inbox suggestions in Business Suite will suggest a reply based on the context of the conversation. For instance, businesses can create an appointment for a customer, confirm a new order or a payment, and save a frequent reply.

How To Set Up Automated Responses

Once automated responses are set up and turned on for specific queries, users will get a response from the business automatically when they interact with the Facebook Page or Instagram account with that query.

• Head to Facebook Business Suite
• Click on Inbox from the sidebar on left
• Click on Automated Responses
• Turn on or off any Automated Response by clicking on the toggle button. It will be blue when it’s on and gray when it’s off
• Click on an Automated Response that you’ve turned on. Click the Edit button on the right to customize your message. Note: You can add personalization elements like the person’s first, last or full name to customize the message to every customer. You can also add in your Facebook Page link to help direct people back to your business’s Page
• Click the Preview in Messenger button in the top right to see how your Automated Message will look in an actual conversation
• Click the blue Save button in the top right corner before you exit

In addition to tools available on social media platforms, AI chatbots can also help a business automate the CRM system. Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO, Mirum India, said "We are also enhancing the response mechanism using AI chatbots so that a large number of typical queries are managed via the same, and only the very specific cases, involving transaction details, get put up to the agent, for management".

This method decreases the load off the CRM executives and allows them to effectively handle prioritized concerns and deal with the volume of inbound queries and concerns in an efficient way. Setting up an automated social CRM system will assist the customer throughout their consumer journey and warm them up for their next purchase.