Blog Post- Week 3 Part 1
***Ring
Ring***
“How
May I help you?”
“Yes,
I was calling today because I've been having problems with my
television service.”
“Oh,
OK ma'am Give me just a second. I'll need to transfer you to the
Technical Department to handle your issues.”
How
many times have we all heard this very thing when we call in to
inquire about a service, shipping issues, product malfunctions etc.,
only to be rerouted to several other departments and then put on hold
for 30 minutes? Traditional customer service calls are soon to be a
thing of the past. Consumers are demanding a faster, more responsive
means of customer care and we're using social media to do it!
I
myself have had to do yoga while making an attempt to get
clarification on account balances, technical support or setting up
pay arrangements. Patience is a virtue.
However,
businesses today are recognizing that the power lies in the hands of
the consumer. With review sites like Yelp, Bing, Angie’s List, etc.
consumers can leave reviews and ratings that can either draw
customers in or scare them far away! With this in mind, companies
have to truly live up to the saying “The customer is always right.”
And in some cases, even when the customers wrong we make it right!
Social
sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter all have a huge impact on how
consumers view companies and brands as well. One bad review, post, or
tweet can tarnish one’s brand for a lifetime.
My
grandmother always said “A lie may start a race off in first, but
the truth ALWAYS wins!” Companies need to be transparent and use
social media as a platform to connect with their customers.
Recognizing that nothing in life is perfect and there's always room
for improvement will make your business even more successful.
Consumers
interacting through social media could be potential or existing
customers interested in what your business has to offer. Why wouldn't
a company utilize it? I have had several great encounters via social
media. Re-tweeting special ads and receiving free items has to be by
far my favorite experience.
It's
pretty genius if you think about it. Your business sales lip gloss so
you have a ton of available product to use as samples, give-ways,
swag bags etc. How genius is it to post or tweet to all your friends
and followers your plan to gift a Free Swag bag to the person who
shares your ad the most throughout the day…? All for a couple
samples of lip gloss, you've literally hired a social media team for
a day! Sounds like a win-win situation.
Businesses
today have the cutting edge of technology at their fingertips. In my
personal opinion, today's businesses need a social media team as much
as they need the accounting department. “It could cost you money”
if you don't, and lots of it! Angry, dissatisfied customers can burn
a trail like wild fires in California, and equally hard to put out.
My advice would be to grab the bull by the horn. If consumers have
complaints about your product or service, address them, take
ownership, and correct the issues. People respect honesty and
commitment to superior customer service. Timely responses and
appropriate compensation shows a level of both respect and
appreciation. If taking anything away from this message… Stay
Connected!
I think another issues that companies need to look into is properly training their employees on handling difficult customers, and communication within their own co-workers. So many times do I see a lack of communication boil into something that could have been solved with something simple.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I really enjoy your writing style. I literally laughed out loud when you mentioned having to do yoga while on the phone with customer service. I completely agree with your point that because of social media companies have to be more transparent. I think it is great that other customers can help each other by placing positive and/or negative reviews about a company. It is disappointing when you think and good or service will be exceptional when it turns out to be sub-par! Great post! Thanks for your insight!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You hit on the importance of organizations and businesses to be "customer-centric" and to utilize social media customer service as a way to be truly responsive to the needs of it's customers. I hope more organizations make this realization. So important!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that a social media department is now a necessity as part of their marketing and advertising departments. Most other forms of print ads and even radio and TV are less effective and not as personalized and with mostly no interaction. Even just having a website for a business at least gives someone a contact to try to email or chat with if there's an issue positive or negative.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Poetry! It's so wow the power that social media have nowadays and I don't think is a trend I think it will stronger. Some business haven't get it yet but sooner or later they will realized that social media give power to customers to talk about their experiences with products/services.
ReplyDeleteI agree that businesses have a responsibility to their current and future customers to ensure issues are addressed timely.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I really enjoyed reading it. I truly agree with you about changes in the way companies interact with their costumers. I have never used social media to deal with any businesses, but i am learning fast that it is a better way to do it.
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