Using social media to improve customer service isn’t a revolutionary idea, but the methods for delivering it continue to evolve. If you’re interested in taking customer care to a whole new level, these complementing platforms and apps can help you raise the bar—and sharpen your competitive edge in the process.

Social Media and Customer Care Tools

Sprout

According to the company site, Sprout can help small business owners “create an exceptional experience across networks.” So if you’re juggling multiple platforms, Sprout can make your life easier almost instantly by providing a common interface where you can manage all of them.

In addition to streamlining, Sprout offers a wide variety of tools that can improve your customer service. These include sophisticated analytics and unlimited custom reports, social CRM tools including shared customer records and advanced scheduling tools.

Pricing: Starts at $99 per user/month.

Conversocial 

The developers of Conversocial believe that social media has become the primary means for delivering customer service. And with more consumers interacting with their favorite companies via social media every day, it’s hard to disagree with them.

Conversocial’s social-first approach lets businesses relate to their customers in real time, giving them unprecedented, anywhere access. Three key features make Conversocial an effective tool: a priority search engine, a collaborative platform and advanced analytics and reporting.

Pricing: Available on request. A free demo is also available.

Nimble

The name implies adaptability on a moment’s notice, and the platform lives up to its name. Developed from the business owner’s perspective, Nimble is designed to be simple, intuitive and familiar.

The tool offers a laundry list of options ranging from social media listening and engagement to integrated email marketing. And that’s just the tip of an iceberg that business owners can mine for additional features that enhance customer care. These include a smart contacts app that lets you engage customers wherever they are, a key contacts identifier that highlights likely prospects and smart insights that keep employees up to date on every front.

Pricing: $25 per user/month. A 14-day free trial is also available.

Zendesk 

This platform is best at providing tactical support and automated help that replicates good customer service. It’s perfect for business owners who may not have the time or resources to help but still want to deliver in a way that shows they care.

Integrated chat, self-help platforms, embeddable apps and voice calling are just some of the features that will help you improve your customer service offering. While Zendesk’s Swiss Army Knife approach makes it a flexible tool for business owners, it’s lack of sophistication as a social integration and management tool can be limiting on this front.

Pricing: Tiered from $5/month to $199/month. A 30-day free trial is also available.

How to Assess

When deciding which platform is best for your business, approach it from two perspectives. First, ask yourself what you’d like the tool to deliver— customer service tools, and a better interface for managing accounts? More reports and analytics? Knowing these answers will help you decide.

Second, know that your choice doesn’t have to be binding, at least at first. Take advantage of free trials and see what the demos can offer. Most of them provide enough opportunity to decide if a tool is right for your business.

Customers expect quick and easy resolution of service issues through social media. Stay ahead of the curve by evolving with these customer service tools.

For more insight on customer service and social media, check out part one of this two-part series, Intro to Social Media and Customer Care.