Did you know that there are over 1.5 billion combined users on Twitter and Facebook worldwide? Now more than ever before, consumers are interacting with companies through social media to get a response to a customer service issue or share their experience.

If you’re not taking advantage of social media to interact with your customers then you’re missing the boat. Social media can help you gain a significant competitive advantage and improve your brand’s reputation globally. Conversely, you risk suffering serious brand damage and the chance to resolve customer issues if you fail to adapt.

Here are the top 10 reasons why you should use social media with your call center:  

1. Never miss a mention. According to a Conversocial study in July 2013, 97% of brand mentions on social media networks are missed. Before implementing a social media customer service strategy, all social network platforms should be audited. Your agents will then have a full understanding of the mention volume and issues at hand.

2. Real-time Response. A dedicated team of agents can monitor and respond to customers in a reasonable time. The social media platform then becomes as effective as the traditional call center. According to a recent study by TNS, 57% of consumers prefer to use the Internet to solve their problems rather than interacting with customer service. By doing this you can create an effective strategy for providing a near perfect product/service for your customers. Use analysis software to track mentions, measure sentiments and discover trends from your target audience.

3. Get Mobile. Smartphones and tablets are the present and future of consumer interactions with your business. According to The Center of Media Research, 50% of responses to customers’ social media inquiries are done on mobile devices.

4. Build Brand Awareness. Call centers can use social media to further engage their customers. The positive interactions attract prospective customers and companies can track feedback from the use of hash tags and then respond and resolve issues raised by customers. According to a study, up to 47% of social media users for customer service use it to share customer service experiences with others. Determine what your brand stands for and then build a customer service model in conjunction with those values.

5. Leverage Community Forums. Social media gives customers a voice and a chance to interact with companies to gain the latest information as part of a larger community. Your company’s target audience shares the products and services that you are providing and your customers can gain leverage from communicating with each other and with your business. A moderated community forum opens up discussions between customers and gives companies the knowledge they need to modify their products and services.

6. Create Customer Loyalty. It’s more cost effective to retain customers than to acquire new ones. By keeping your current customers happy, you will increase customer loyalty. As a result, you will generate long term profits and organic growth.

7. Cost savings. According to Social Media Today, just a mere one percent increase in first call response results in an annual savings of about $276,000 for a call center. Studies have shown that social media increases first call responses by even more than one percent, saving your business significant operational costs.

8. Improved Customer Satisfaction. Fast response times and personal interaction with customers on social media can lead to improved customer satisfaction. In 2009, Domino’s leveraged social media to address concerns over its employees and product and responded with major changes. In the following quarter, sales went up by 14%. The same can happen for your business.

9. Expand Your Reach. With over 1.5 billion users on Facebook and Twitter combined, and LinkedIn emerging as a customer service tool, many people are using social media and using it frequently. 74% of respondents in a Nielsen survey reported that they chose to do business with a company based on experiences they read on social media. Being able to respond to customers where they are most active is not only convenient, but also creates a connection between the customer and the business.

10. Minimal Training Required. Unlike with certain software systems or products, call center agents don’t have to be extensively trained in social media. That’s because most people are already familiar with it. Some training might be necessary to develop call center standards and procedures, but chances are most agents are already members of the one billion plus social media community.