Technology and Social Media in Customer Service

Gradually, traditional media is being overtaken by disruptive and rapidly changing technologies driven by social media among others. The same applies to business models and business strategies globally. As a result, firms are increasingly changing the way they interact with their customers. Offering the best service to customers is undoubtedly the lifeline and hence most important aspect of a business. As such, customer service management is relevant for a business aspiring to become competitive. Since the advent of the Internet, businesses have resorted to using social media to communicate and interact with their customers. It is inextricably true that businesses worldwide are using social media strategically to keep tabs on their customers through photos and status update postings on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter among others, making social media a vital tool and a more convenient way to keep in touch with the customers. Husain et al. (2016) noted that social media has witnessed an exponential growth in the millennium and that at the present information age, social media marketing has become part of doing business. Social media represents one of the most transformative impacts of information technology on business, as it drastically changes how consumers and firms interact. Therefore, companies nowadays increasingly compete for consumers’ attention and engagement with their brand in the social media space. This section contributes to the discussion regarding disruptive transformation of customer service brought about by social media. The article presents evidence of how technology is changing practices and strategies of customer service with a focus on the African context. Notably, digital transformation is acting as a trigger in turning customer service improvements into an urgent imperative. This chapter argues that businesses need to recognise disruptions of social media and adapt to social media dynamics (Deloitte, 2013). Worldwide, businesses cannot forget to focus on the need for contemporary and up-to-date customer service strategies and tools. Companies that integrate social media in their customer-centric business models will be able to appropriately take advantage of agility brought about by technologies and succeed in providing modern customer service. Adopting new business models that integrate social media requires new competencies. Appropriate responses to online reviews and posts about a company’s products and (or) services demonstrates strength in a company’s communication and enable a company to persuade potential customers, acquire them and even successfully retain them, thus improving a company’s performance.