Imagine a place where your clients and prospects gather, where they can listen to what you’re saying in real time and engage with you and others with a few simple clicks. Doesn’t this sound like a customer service dream?

The fact is, it already exists…on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media.

This survey shows that 90% of hospitals in the Ohio Hospital Association are using social media, and that they plan on investing more time and money in 2013. They’ve learned that it’s the perfect tool to build community relationships, share news and boost their reputation, as well as to promote general health awareness. Committing to a strategy that spans marketing, PR and customer service can boost your presence and help you reach your goals, too.

Your social media pages allow you to:

• Respond to prospects and clients in real time, in a completely transparent and credible way
• Have the power to monitor the conversation
• Create a solid community and nurture your following, understanding that each user can act as a public mouthpiece
• Share your stories and spark engagement

When social media offers all of these advantages, why not to get your customer service team involved? Incorporating specific customer service goals into your social media strategy will make your pages much more than the typical PR mouthpiece. Check out this knockout example of social media customer service. Do you have similar stories from your institution?

Social media is turning into the most powerful tool for your customer service, marketing and PR teams, yet only 26% of U.S. hospitals post and tweet. It’s time to get started!