Since Instagram first launched in-app shopping in 2019, Instagram has become an essential sales tool for brands. Instagram is not just where people discover products— it's also where they buy them.
E-commerce is growing on the Instagram app, and customers aren't visiting a brand's external website for self-service product questions. Instagram users expect brands to answer questions within the mobile app.
That might seem like a difficult proposition, given that space on an Instagram profile is limited. However, innovative brands have found ways to save themselves time and money by answering questions on Instagram before customers can even ask them.
Here are a few ways that brands should approach their social media strategy for Instagram customer service:
Highlights are the Stories that appear permanently at the top of an Instagram profile (right below the Instagram bio).
Stories and Highlights are prime real estate for a brand's social media marketing strategy. Companies can take advantage of stories to tell their brand story, upload FAQs about existing and new products, and walkthrough information about delivery and return procedures.
Article, the modern furniture brand has a FAQ section at the top of its Instagram business page. Visitors can click through dozens of frequently asked questions.
The brand answers questions like "On the dining table, can you use a runner and placemats?" or "Are your tables 100% wood? Is there a warranty?" Article also has a Story Highlight called "Our Delivery," which explains the company's contactless delivery process.
Customers should have easy access to a brand through their Instagram profiles. Many brands include links to their websites, but brands can also add additional contact information.
The water bottle brand Hydro Flask uses Instagram's "Contact" button, which appears just beneath its bio. Click "Contact," and Instagram pulls up both the phone number and email address for Hydro Flask customer support.
Professional Account Tip: Also set up Action Buttons through Contact Options. These make Instagram business profiles more shoppable for customers who are scrolling through.
Instagram's Quick Replies feature lets businesses create shortcuts within Instagram DM for commonly answered questions. For instance, brands are commonly asked about return policies.
To avoid retyping an explanation every time, they can save a boilerplate explanation about how returns work under a keyword in Instagram DM. To do this, brands click "Save Quick Reply" on a message they've already sent, and then choose a keyword to attach to the reply.
When a similar question comes up in the future, they only have to type in that keyword, and the same reply will pop up in their drafts. That significantly cuts the time it takes to answer customer inquiries.
In June 2021, Instagram opened up its Messenger API for Instagram to all businesses using the app, which means that brands can now more seamlessly integrate Instagram DM with customer service platforms like Zendesk and Gorgias.
The brand ButcherBox, for instance, reports getting 8,000 direct messages a month across its various social network platforms.
The new API lets brands answer all their questions from a single location. It also allows them to meticulously track and tag messages to collect insights into their customers' questions.
To facilitate this process, brands should consider a tool like Chatdesk Trends, which tags and sorts the thousands of messages that pour in from customers across social platforms. It provides Instagram insights and even Facebook page metrics.
Chatdesk Trends give brands insights and intent into their target audience. This data helps build Instagram marketing strategies and content that is favored by the Instagram feed's algorithm.
Customer service often happens in the comments on Instagram posts and Instagram ads. That's where customers go to praise your brand, ask questions, or express their frustration.
Brands should be ready to reply quickly—and they should set expectations for their customer service agents about what constitutes an acceptable response time. Customers do expect businesses to answer them on Instagram fast.
One study found that 44% of millennials—the most prominent customer demographic on Instagram—expect an answer from businesses within an hour. A full 90% of millennials want a reply within a day.
If those response times seem tough to meet, brands should consider working with Chatdesk Teams. Chatdesk Teams hires customer service agents who are real fans of each brand to answer questions in the comments swiftly.
Schedule a demo to see how Chatdesk can help business owners, small businesses, and even large companies effectively serve both existing and new customers on Instagram.
