With massive penetration of Australian consumers, social media has evolved into an emerging source of customer queries. Whilst brands grapple with this change, the consumer is empowered to quickly voice opinions and share experiences on social media. Performing well on Facebook and other social media means more than collecting Likes.

Great customer service is one of the most important ingredients in the marketing mix. And when over 20 per cent of Australians have used Facebook to make a complaint and 10 per cent to help resolve a problem, social media is becoming a key entry point to customer sentiment.

The fashion brands that have recognised this and re-oriented themselves to respond to customer posts, in the quickest and most efficient time, are leading the sector in Social Customer Service.

By integrating Facebook and other social media into their customer service experience, Australia’s foremost fashion brands are creating an invaluable window to customer opinion. This allows them to respond to their customers virtually immediately.

But what is the solution when your social media presence has got a high number of contacts and scaling up?

You join Human and Automation. Automated social media monitoring systems can track Facebook activity in real-time, making sure that no comment is lost.

Predetermined filters manage comments or mentions and prioritise responses based on sentiment, influence and intensity of the message. This allows for fast tracking, due diligence and reporting of issues affecting the brand. This is particularly useful in the lead up to busy retail periods such as Christmas – a time when customer expectation is heightened.

Connecting a Facebook with your CRM allows data to be collected and analysed to identify quality control, process and other issues effecting customers in an immediate way. Issues that once would have taken a fashion house weeks or even months to identify can be fast tracked within hours of a pattern of complaints or comments being made by customers.

The Australian fashion brands performing best on Facebook recognise that a social media strategy must cover more than a campaign to amass Likes. The best performers are creating a unified social media business solution with customer service at its heart.

For detailed insight into how Australian fashion brands and retailers are performing on Facebook, download a copy of the Social Customer Service Report at socialpulse.co/socialcustomerservice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lucio Ribeiro is the Lead Strategist at Online Circle Digital. 

If you enjoyed this article then subscribe FREE to the twice weekly SMK Digital Bulletin, click here now or visit www.smk.net.au/subscribe.

Also, click here download a FREE Social Media Policy Research Paper – worth $495. This FREE in-depth 17 page paper features insights from both communications and legal experts at the likes of: National Australia Bank (NAB), Edelman, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Social@Ogilvy, SMK – Social Media Knowledge, The Victorian Electoral Commission. Or visit www.smk.net.au/downloads for details.