"Wait. What? You're putting me on hold for a third time so you can connect me with your shift leader's supervisor's manager? I just needed to know one simple thing about my account..."
The solution? It starts during the interviewing and hiring process - finding the right people with depth of character and a sense of empathy. Employees can be trained in technical skills, but personality is inherent. To paraphrase author Jim Collins from his book Good to Great, get the right people in the right seat on the bus and get the wrong ones off.
Front-line employees, the ones answering the phones and interfacing with customers, often are the first glimpse customers have of your business. That representation is key. If apathetic, disinterested and under invested representatives are answering your phones, manning your cash registers, or responding on social media - you're in for a wake-up call. Your customers won't carry on a long-standing relationship with you. They'll move on and find a company that does care about them.
How does this apply in social customer service? Choose someone to plan, oversee and implement your social media that exemplifies customer service and has the authority to take action on a customer's behalf. If the person on your staff monitoring the social channels doesn't have authority to act, then at least be certain that he/she has direct access to the people in the business who can.
This doesn't mean that you set unrealistic expectations that your company cannot meet just to retain customers. What is does mean is don't intentionally delay, aggravate or negate your customers and their needs - no matter how small that need may be. Customer service ties into personality and desire - hire the people that want to help your business and your customers be successful and valued.