Social trade and its
importance in the
Contact Centers
Social commerce is a sales strategy in which companies use social media platforms to offer products and services, with the aim of facilitating direct purchases through these channels.
In short, social commerce is the fusion of social media and e-commerce, allowing people to explore, discover, and, in many cases, purchase products without leaving the social platform. Simplifying the buying process increases conversion rates and prevents potential customers from losing interest.
In fact, in the field of contact centers, social commerce opens a new door to connect with customers in a more personal and fluid way, allowing brands to interact directly in the same space where their customers spend a lot of time and even spaces where people go to look for what they need.
Next, we'll explore how social commerce works, some examples in the field of contact centers, and best practices for making the most of this tool.
How Does Social Commerce Work?
It relies on the interactive and visual features of social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok, which allow purchases to be made with just a few clicks and provide a personalized and visually appealing experience.
Social media, with its ability to display comments, share content, and offer direct communication, is the ideal platform for improving the shopping experience.
This is where contact centers come into play: they can use social commerce tools and techniques to offer fast, direct, and personalized service, strengthening customer relationships and boosting sales. Today, tools are available that simplify this communication process and even integrate all these messages in one place to manage communications more efficiently and provide better service.
Main Social Trade Channels
1. Instagram Shopping:
It allows companies to create a virtual store within the platform, where users can view products, explore collections, and make purchases without leaving the application.
2. Facebook Shops:
Similar to Instagram Shopping, but focused on Facebook, it allows businesses to sell products and services directly on the platform, providing an integrated experience.
3. TikTok for Business:
It offers a direct shopping experience through videos and links, where products can be tagged in posts, videos, and ads, making it easy for users to buy what they see.
4. WhatsApp Business:
Although it is a messaging channel, it allows for a highly personalized shopping experience, as customers can request detailed information and receive real-time support, as well as make payments and manage their orders.
Social Commerce Use Cases in Contact Centers
In contact centers, the written communication (chats, emails, social media messages) is essential. The writing must be clear, fast and personalized.
1. Customer Support and Personalized Sales on Social Networks
Let's say a fashion store uses Instagram Shopping to sell its products. A customer finds an item they're interested in but has questions about sizes or colors. By interacting with the store's Instagram chat, a contact center agent can offer instant assistance.
This agent can share additional photos, provide sizing guidance, and even suggest other products to complement your choice. Thanks to this, a potential purchase becomes a guided and personalized shopping experience.
2. Order Management and After-Sales Support via WhatsApp
Imagine a tech store that receives frequent inquiries about order status via WhatsApp. In this case, the contact center can automate part of this process using a chatbot that answers basic questions, such as order tracking, exchanges, or returns. If the customer has a more specific question, the chatbot redirects the case to a human agent, who provides specialized support. This speeds up response times and improves the customer experience.
3. Problem Solving and Customer Loyalty through Facebook Messenger
A beauty company that sells its products through Facebook Shops may receive customer inquiries about how to use its products or which line is best suited to their skin type. Here, a contact center team can interact via Messenger to offer personalized recommendations and even send video tutorials or links to specific products, enriching the experience and building trust.
4. Live Sales and Exclusive Offers on TikTok
Fashion companies have successfully leveraged TikTok's live video format to create live shopping sessions where they showcase products in real time and answer user questions. For a contact center managing this strategy, a team can handle these live interactions to answer questions, suggest products, and create a sense of exclusivity with limited-time discounts.
Advantages of Social Commerce in Contact Centers
1. Improve the User Experience: Customers receive quick and personalized answers on the platforms where they already spend time, creating a frictionless experience.
2. Increase Conversion Rate: Being so close to the purchase process and in a trusted environment like a social network makes it easier to motivate users to make a purchase.
3. Customization and Real-Time Support: Through contact centers, a level of personalization is offered that is not possible in traditional e-commerce, since agents are trained to answer detailed questions and offer recommendations, or in certain cases it is possible to integrate artificial intelligence into the process for resolving simple questions, allowing agents to focus on more complex issues.
4. Data Collection for Marketing Strategies: Contact centers can collect valuable customer data, such as purchasing preferences, frequently asked questions, and common problems. This information is useful for improving marketing strategies.
Examples of Successful Social Commerce
1. Nike on Instagram Shopping
Nike has leveraged Instagram Shopping to connect with its young and dynamic audience, with posts that showcase its products in context. Nike combines this with personalized messages through Instagram Direct, where the support team can guide customers on sizing, usage, or the benefits of its products.
2. Estée Lauder on Facebook Shops
Estée Lauder has implemented Facebook Shops as an extension of its e-commerce strategy. Customers can inquire about beauty products through Facebook Messenger, where a contact center agent responds directly and personally, guiding the shopping experience from initial interest to final purchase.
3. Starbucks on WhatsApp for Latin America
Starbucks can offer fast and personal service, answering questions about availability, location, and custom orders.
Best Practices for Contact Centers in Social Commerce
1. Social Media Training: Agents must be trained to use the various tools on social media platforms, be knowledgeable about the products, and provide quick and concise answers. Using chatbots to answer common questions in real time is a great strategy for handling a high volume of inquiries without compromising service quality.
2. Intelligent Automation: Using chatbots to answer common queries in real time is a great strategy for handling a high volume of questions without losing service quality.
3. Feedback Collection: It is essential to listen to the customer and gather feedback to improve the offer and sales strategy.
4. Exclusive Promotions on Each Channel: Offering exclusive discounts or promotions to users who buy through social media helps increase customer interaction and loyalty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this is a growing trend that has changed the way companies relate to their customers, allowing for more personal and direct interactions in the social spaces that consumers frequent.
Contact centers play a fundamental role in this strategy, providing real-time support and guiding customers through their buying journey. Adapting to these new sales methods can be an opportunity for companies to increase conversion rates, improve customer satisfaction, and position themselves as leaders in social commerce.
#We invite you to read our blog post Benefits and challenges of automating processes in Contact Centers»
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