What is social media support and why should your company be using it?

What is social media support and why should your company be using it?

As brands place greater value on real-time, public-facing customer experiences, social media is no longer a “nice-to-have” support channel—it’s a core part of customer service strategy. To stay relevant, brands need to meet customers on the platforms they prefer — and those differ by age, interest, and behaviour.  

At Otonomee, our social media support teams are helping clients meet customers where they are, delivering consistent, brand-aligned support management across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Reddit.

We sat down with Laura Heffernan, Social Management Manager at Otonomee, to explore how her team is setting a new standard in social CX for a major HealthTech brand.

A human-centered model for social support

Unlike traditional customer service channels, where customers engage behind closed tickets, social CX is both highly visible and highly nuanced. That’s why Laura’s team is structured to reflect how people naturally engage with brands and will lean more into this approach as the team grows.

Laura said her hope going forward is to have dedicated team members allocated to each specific social media platform for laser focused tone and brand identity per social media outlet. She said, “They know that John, Mary, and Toby are going to be on this [platform] today… they have the familiarity and the confidence to reach out for help.”

Rather than rotating agents across different social media platforms, Otonomee aligns agents to specific channels or brands—allowing them to develop familiarity with audience tone, platform etiquette, and even recurring customers. This consistency builds trust and accelerates productivity.

Leveraging tools while maintaining the human touch

Otonomee’s social media support offering includes tools for sentiment monitoring, brand safety, and real-time visibility, but Laura emphasized that automation plays a supporting role, not a leading one.

“AI is going to be a huge thing. It's already a huge thing, right? But it's only going to go up and up and up,” she said. “You could increase the use of AI for sentiment analysis… but still not use it for answering questions. You want to have that human touch, you want to have that one-on-one feeling with someone.”

The team’s tech stack allows agents to spot trends, escalate risk, and measure impact—while ensuring that every customer still feels like they’re speaking to a real person who listens and understands their issue.

Transforming social CX into strategic value

Otonomee’s clients are seeing tangible results from their investment in social-first support—from faster response times to improved sentiment and brand loyalty.

“There is [a] massive rise in brands treating social support as their… core CX strategy,” Laura said. “Not just like PR, funny videos, or something like that. They look for it now. That is where the feedback is.”

In many cases, what starts as a reactive support function evolves into a powerful feedback loop. This gives brands visibility into product issues, audience sentiment, and opportunities for proactive outreach.

Growing with demand

Since Laura stepped into her role, the social support function at Otonomee has scaled significantly, growing both in team size and strategic depth. What began as a pilot is now a core offering for some of Otonomee’s most innovative clients.

“We've seen it with this client—the ability to scale quickly and build teams that know how to balance empathy, speed, and brand alignment.”

As demand continues to grow, Laura is focused on refining systems and replicating success across industries, particularly in Healthtech and other high-trust sectors.

Why social support is “one to watch”

Otonomee’s flexible remote model, strong cultural alignment, and scalable training processes have created a strong foundation for what’s next in social CX.

“Bringing the core values into everything—in all of the public-facing spaces—that’s what makes the difference,” said Laura. “I think Otonomee and social media support is one to watch, for sure.”

Final thoughts

Social media support is no longer a reactive, siloed function. It’s a living, strategic brand touchpoint. And with leaders like Laura Heffernan at the helm, Otonomee is uniquely positioned to help companies transform social CX into a long-term advantage.

If you're considering scaling your social media support strategy, get in touch to learn how we can help you build trust, drive efficiency, and meet your customers in the moments that matter most.

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