Improving the work of the SMM support team in 2021: the history of one network

If your business is not in social networks, then you simply do not exist” is known to every schoolboy ticktocker, and any brand in 2021 takes the SMM strategy no less seriously than the development of its products or services.

Every day we receive about 400 comments and appeals in 12 channels. In addition to standard channels such as phone, mail and chat, we focused on collecting feedback in all popular social networks, maps and feedback.

If in 2020 the average response time was almost 20 minutes, in 2021 it was reduced to 14 minutes. Of course, it is important not only the speed, but also the quality of solving the buyer’s problem – without a well-coordinated team and technological solutions, we would have to sweat over such a task. We will tell you how the trading network works in this area based on our experience, and we will immediately make a reservation that there is no limit to perfection and there are still a lot of plans in this area.

Teamwork

Let’s start with the fact that at the beginning of the year we conducted an anonymous study with our operators to find out what the team needs, what they lack for motivation, and here’s what we found out:

1. The need for autonomy: 100% of the employees surveyed understand what the employer requires of them and what tools need to be used for effective communication with customers.
2. The need for competence: 88% – want to undergo additional training to improve their professional qualifications.
3. The need to interact with other people is a critical area. During testing, employees noted that only 50% of them received feedback and evaluation of their work in the last few weeks.

Therefore, in order to increase the efficiency of interaction with consumers, we have introduced a special motivational system for them, which is based on the theory of self – determination – satisfaction of three key needs-autonomy, competence and community.

• The need for autonomy is closely related to a sense of will, especially with regard to decision-making and their further implementation. To make people feel like part of the team and have the opportunity to realize their creative potential we need to encourage the creative approach of its employees in writing scripts and developing new proposals for running social networks;
• In order to feel their importance, be competent and remain in demand in their field, it is important for an employee to receive feedback on the work done, both from colleagues and from clients. This motivates for constant personal and professional development and helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the employee.
• Establishing reliable relationships based on trust and mutual understanding is an important need for absolutely any person. Personal contact and positive feedback about the work help to strengthen internal motivation and get a sense of connection with colleagues and clients.
• Therefore, building a team and its development has become a very important priority for us. To work effectively with clients, employees need to always be in the trend, track current news, study protocols and updated scripts.

We started with the fact that brainstorms were held on a regular basis for operators, during which all employees will be able to discuss urgent problems, share successes and professional achievements, as well as analyze new cases. Brainstorms are formed on different topics – “Creativity in scripts”, “New ideas”, “Empathy for customers”. During collective meetings, internal issues are touched upon: the area of responsibility of each employee, shift protocols, the load is distributed, detailed instruction is conducted, and periodically there is even a desire to meditate at the workplace.

It also turned out that employees have a need for regular training and rest, and many are also poorly able to plan their time. Therefore, we plan to conduct training in two areas. First, it is planning and time management, fact-checking (working with sources and incoming information) and Work-life balance.Well, the second direction, which is directly related to professional competence , is additional SMM training, copywriting courses and trainings aimed at strengthening negotiation skills.

6 tips for organizing the process

If your team is more than 5 people, and the number of requests per day has exceeded 3000 monthly, then it’s time to think about a clear organization of the process. Both technical solutions and several important rules help us in this.

We use three key systems in our work:

• The ticket system allows you to fully optimize the workflows of the internal system of the UseDesk cloud service, designed for high-quality customer support in social networks;
• YouScan, AppFollow and Hotmaps are used for monitoring requests;
• For a quick response to clients, an API bot is connected, which allows you to get information about new publications and mentions in social networks.
• But in addition to them, they help to organize the workflow:

• Brainstorms – we hold them once every two months, during this time a relevant topic and content for it ripens well.
• Drawing up a memo for beginners. The new operator will need a script of steps – what he needs to do to successfully carry out his work. We have a checklist and a successful case, we will not fully disclose it, but its main principles are decision/response, responsiveness in response and empathy for the client.
• A calm atmosphere in the office – it is very important for support staff to maintain zen, because empathy for the client is important here and getting in his place many times every day is a big stress. Therefore, we try to help our colleagues maintain inner peace and provide comfort and silence. In the near future, we plan to make special chops for operators within the framework of CRM, which will remind them of rest, perhaps with the help of music or a spiritual mentor.