Why You Need to Provide Customer Service on Instagram

Connecting with businesses on social media is not a new concept to consumers – nor businesses.

Social media is usually perceived as a channel for building brand awareness and customer relationships. Stories that promote giveaways or inspiring ways to use a product are an invitation for followers to start a dialogue and build a connection with a brand.

Engaging social media posts are open opportunities for customers to react with Likes, Comments, Mentions, or Direct Messages – giving them a chance to share their point of view with a brand anytime, anywhere.

One of the most popular social media channels brands use to connect with customers today is Instagram. In fact, 90% of people among the channel’s 1 billion monthly active accounts follow a business – and 84% of People want to discover new products on the channel as well.

This means not having an account for your business is a missed opportunity – especially if you’re an ecommerce brand that needs a selling platform to build and engage a wider audience.

Here we highlight why Instagram should be a part of your customer service strategy – and how to get started.

Why Instagram for Customer Service

The popularity of Instagram is apparent among younger generations – an audience that uses the app daily. By being present where customers already are, brands can leverage the app to provide a Full Circle Customer Experience – from product exploration to customer support.

With new features added regularly, Instagram has become a Preferred Channel for discovering new products or services and shopping online. However, as customers browse your offers and dig into your brand, it’s important to be available at hand in case their experience takes a turn.

What happens when the product they ordered off your Instagram profile hasn’t arrived? Or worse, it arrived damaged. Perhaps the size needs to be changed or the customer wants your recommendation before tapping the pay button on their banking app.

It’s moments like these that brands need to be ready for. And the best way to be there when a customer needs you most is to be available to chat on the app they’re already using.

Providing Customer Service via the Messenger API for Instagram

While accessibility is an essential component of a positive customer experience, response time is key to unlocking meaningful connections on social media. However, replying to multiple Instagram messages and comments in a timely manner requires focus and dedication from your customer support agents.

Adding Instagram to your business messaging is a strategic way to ensure you are where your customers are, too. And, with the Messenger API for Instagram, staying connected to your customers on their favorite social media channel has never been easier.

Connecting the Messenger API for Instagram to a cloud contact centre solution, such as Conversations, enables your agents to simultaneously respond to Multiple Direct Messages and Comments in one place.

In addition, agents can manage and resolve Instagram queries alongside other channels connected to their workspace – from email to SMS, voice calls, Facebook, and more.

Cloud contact centres with omnichannel capabilities are proven to not only increase customer satisfaction, but agent satisfaction as well. Using Conversations will give your agents everything they need to provide great customer service on Instagram and beyond, including:

• Context. Give agents 360° customer profiles and full conversation history all in one place – helping them unlock valuable insights and provide fast and personalized customer support.
• Work From Anywhere Capabilities. Having a cloud solution enables agents to provide customer service from their desktop, tablet, or mobile phone – all they need is an internet connection.
• Automation. Reduce repetition with easy-to-setup workflows, chatbots, or IVR and offload work from agents so they can focus on high-value queries.

Tip:  To manage expectations, add details to your Instagram Bio about how customers should reach you for fast support issues. Should they use specific hashtags when replying to your post or connect with you using direct messages? Give them a heads up about your average response time, too.