Your customers are mobile, connected, and social. They interact with your brand and products in new and powerful ways. They expect more from the companies and brands they spend money with. When they have a bad customer experience, switching to a competitor is easy, or even worse, sharing that experience with a broader social network is less than 140 characters away.

Price point and location advantages have collapsed, and increasingly, companies are battling for the hearts and wallets of their customers in the area of customer service. Research indicates that up to 85% of business can be lost due to poor customer service. On the flip side, 73% of customers indicate that they have spent more money with a company when they experience a high level of service. The business value and risks associated with the experience of your customers is real.

The days of a single “customer service” department “owning” the company's relationship with customers are over. In this new battleground, every department has a responsibility to the customer. Forward-thinking companies are investing in tools that arm not only their customer service agents, but all of their employees, with competitive edge. Here are three guidelines to follow in making that competitive edge a part of your company’s ethos:

1. Empower your employees to listen, engage, and respond to customer problems through social media. Give them tools such as technologies and processes to break down cross-departmental silos and allow them to collaborate and unite around improving every customer touch across your company. 
2. Develop a strong, central CRM system that provides a single view across the customer lifecycle. Companies that don’t listen to customers where they are or address customer needs consistently across multiple channels are failing to optimize their business at best, and, at worst, putting their very survival at risk.
3. Ensure that not only your agents, but all of your employees, have the tools and leadership needed to unite them behind the needs of your customers. When employees are engaged and empowered around a common purpose and given the tools and training to streamline their efforts, they will be able to propel your business forward.

Download our success kit: Social Customer Service: The Next Battleground. It builds a business case for companies to realign their technology and culture around their customers, helping you compete, and win this important battle.