With over 100 million users signed up, most companies and social-savvy consumers have heard of Threads, but what we’re still figuring out is how the app will impact customer experience (CX).
Building strong customer relationships requires meeting customers where they are and today, that’s increasingly on social media and messaging channels. Brands must be present to address customers’ concerns (or praises) because it fosters trust, enhances customer satisfaction, and reinforces a positive brand image.
As Threads continues to gain users and companies explore their engagement strategies, here are five key insights for CX leaders to consider proactively.
Real-time updates from brands that customers want
Threads can empower businesses to provide customers with real-time updates on exciting company news, fostering a sense of immediacy and transparency. Customers who actively engage with a brand on Threads are often among the most loyal followers. This makes Threads an ideal platform to share exclusive behind-the-scenes content, updates on new products or services, special offers, and more.
Personalized support tailored to customers needs and preferences
Threads can offer businesses an opportunity to deliver personalized customer support with a focus on responsiveness and one to one connections to solve customer issues. This entails providing direct and informal assistance, such as updates on orders, addressing queries, and troubleshooting issues when customers reach out on the platform.
While it’s incredibly important to be responsive to customers, there are some obstacles when it comes to scale, but Zendesk will be here to support as soon as customer service integrations become available.*
Early adoption boosts exposure, but prioritize resource management
By leveraging new technologies and social platforms, brands can continuously evolve and expand their reach. Quick adoption allows for greater exposure to an engaged audience, leading to accelerated partnerships, increased sales, and positioning as a thought leader among early adopters.
To succeed, companies must regularly create engaging, visual content. This requires time, effort, and resources. Before joining, CX leaders need to ensure their teams can support consistent content creation.
Marketing opportunities beyond ads
While Instagram offers ad placements, sponsored posts, and shopping features, Threads is currently ad-free, focusing on direct and private communication. Thus, marketing opportunities for brands might be limited at the moment.
Although this is the case, brands can still leverage the platform to create unique and authentic connections with their customers. By focusing on direct communication, Threads enables brands to have meaningful conversations, gather valuable feedback, and strengthen brand loyalty. It encourages deeper engagement and genuine interactions, which allows a company to showcase its commitment to customer satisfaction and personalized CX experiences.
Monitor its evolution
Right now, Threads presents a new frontier, and companies should closely monitor its development over time. However, it’s essential not to overlook WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and other social messaging channels where most service-related interactions are still likely to occur.
Zendesk will be following the developments on Threads, and to further engage on the platform, we’ve established our own official account.
*APIs for customer service solutions like Zendesk on Threads don’t currently exist. Zendesk is working closely with Meta, and will be ready to offer integrations once available.