On one hand most companies (read marketers) haven’t the foggiest idea.
Yet one of the most common reasons I have heard companies offer for not using Social Media is that they fear bad things being said about their brand.
The reason companies don’t know what customers are saying is simple. Companies are absent from the conversations going on about them. More worrying for them is what customers are saying, how they are saying it and to whom they are saying it. And one thing is for sure…many customers have a major beef:
Customer Service. Or rather the lack of customer service they receive.
Companies - particularly large ones - spend tens of millions of dollars on ever-catchier advertising campaigns to woo increasing numbers of new customers. Yet, they regularly lose loyal customers because of sub-standard customer service. Now these customers are not only leaving, they are using Social Media tools to tell others exactly how they were treated and why they left… in detail.
Here’s a case in point. When a major telco announced an important branding campaign launch, it received this reaction. The comments were made in an online forum of a popular national newspaper when the story first broke.
Customers, potential customers and former customers had something to say. One of the key messages was
Get the customer service right and then your branding might have more impact.
This should be a wake-up call for every marketer. Their customers and prospects are using Social Media tools to connect and talk about your brand – specifically how they feel about your brand.
And here’s what else marketers should be worried about:
Many customers were very unhappy with their overall experience of companies when it came to servicing and customer service.
- Most wanted improvements to customer service first – and were unimpressed with news of branding campaigns, marketing messages and PR (which, incidentally included references to great customer service and customer loyalty)
- Several former customers said they had already taken their business elsewhere. Others were planning to the first chance they got
- All had realized the power of Social Media and the viral nature of the Internet as a powerful tool for getting their voices heard
- Some were recommending consumer complaint sites who would take action on their behalf
- Most customers simply wanted someone at the company to listen and put right what they thought was wrong so they could have a better experience
It used to be that one unhappy customer would tell nine other customers. And that was bad news. With the Internet, Social Media, and viral user generated content one unhappy customer can tell several thousands, if not millions of people.
Marketers need to listen more and relay what they hear to Senior Management with suggestions for change. Listening will make them aware of what people are saying about them. The company as a whole then needs to act on what they are hearing by immediately putting in place a strategy to engage with their audience. Social Media has made those conversations visible and it also makes it possible for marketers to be part of those conversations, whether via blogs, forums or even wikis.
It’s a golden opportunity for marketers. They can hear exactly what their customers are saying and how they feel and they may also find that these same customers have suggestions for improvements. The question is, how many marketers are taking advantage of the opportunity?
Customer service is an excellent place to start if a company wants to build relationships and positive brand word of mouth. Increasingly, your customer service, not catchy ads, will determine how a customer perceives your brand, whether or not they recommend your products and whether you have a long-term relationship with that customer or not.
Loyal customers not only spend more with you they are are also far more likely to recommend you to their family and friends, and become brand advocates. Missing this opportunity and allowing customers to leave in frustration is not only costly it will affect all your social media marketing efforts. It’s hard to build a relationship with someone who’s heard bad things about your company from a former or current customer.
Here’s an example of a company that did listen eventually. Check out Comcast, where Senior Vice President Rick Germano updates customers on customer service improvements being made in response to their feedback. He also makes himself available and accountable by making his contact details available on the site for customer feedback. If you Google Comcast you will see much of the feedback that led to Comcast’s new move.
If customers are using Social Media to air their frustrations about your company, what can you, the marketer, do? How can Social Media enable you?
Look out for my suggestions – and feel free to post your own.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello,
Social media monitoring is something that most companies should think about. So not only using marketing to go against the bloggers, but monitoring and reacting to what is being said about their product or company. I work for a CRM company and just recently introduced media monitoring. I have been amazed at the number people that have asked about this service. I think it will be growing and impacting businesses more and more!
Great article!
Becky
Thanks Becky! I think companies monitoring and listening to what’s being said about them should really be at the top of their list. Not only would they get a lot of information, it would give them an idea of where to target their Social Media efforts. As a blogger, if saw a company was making an effort to improve customer service, I’d probably blog about it. Just another way companies can get bloggers on their side.
Thanks again.