Social media and the web have changed the way people do business in a lot of ways, but few professional disciplines have been as profoundly affected as has customer service. Customers often turn to Twitter or Facebook first when they have a problem, and they expect a prompt response.

That’s why Sprout Social has put together a helpful white paper loaded with guidelines for choosing and training social media staff, tips for ensuring follow-through on customer inquiries, and real world examples to illustrate how to efficiently make social media integral to your customer service strategy and internal process.

The truth is that most companies are struggling to keep up. Nearly a third of tweets to brands are support related, and 25-55% of customer services inquiries on Facebook and Twitter go completely ignored. As the white paper says: “Would you turn your back toward a customer who walked into your store or hang up on them if they called? Unlikely. Social media should be no different.”

Head over to our white papers page and  download the PDF for free, then let us know what you think in the comments. We’d love to hear about your own experiences with incorporating social media channels into your support processes.