Do you know what people are saying about your brand? How are you addressing consumer complaints? Do you acknowledge your mistakes or hope they get swept under the rug? I’m here to tell you that like PR – customer service is about being proactive, not reactive.
We saw the mess when Dominos waited 36 hours to respond to their crises. We’re in the midst of an United Airlines crisis. There are countless case studies showing the damage that can be done to a brand that doesn’t respond.
Face it – we’re online. We live in a digital society that feeds on the ability to fulfill their desires instantly. The speed at which information travels is increasingly getting quicker – which can be great for a brand to connect. However, this also poses an even bigger threat to companies that don’t continually monitor their image.
On the personal side, we need to start holding ourselves accountable. Made a mistake? It’s ok, own up and admit your mistake. We all make mistakes, but you’ll make it twice as bad by trying to avoid your client. There’s nothing worse than calling someone, getting voicemail and not receiving a call back. Again, take initiative and if someone reaches out to you, do the professional thing and return a call.
Social media is here – so why not take advantage of it? While we can debate who’s best suited to manage the social media account, one thing that’s not debatable is the value it brings to customer service. If there’s one thing that social media allows, it’s the ability to reach out to your community.
So we know about the harm not monitoring your brand can do. We know what happens when you don’t provide exemplary service; but what about when a brand gets it right? I bring to you Mayo Clinic. Not only is Mayo a world-class health institution – they’re also a prime example of a brand monitoring and taking advantage of social media.
Mayo could have ignored this opportunity – after all, it wasn’t a life-changing cure or a medical advancement. Instead, they saw an opportunity to help build a community and spread a good message. It wasn’t about advancing their brand, but in the end, that’s the result they achieved. It’s about relationships.
3 ways social media helps:
- Instant feedback from customers. Know if they have a problem and when.
- Ability to instantly address. No more making customers wait 10 minutes on hold. Prevent crisis before it occurs
- Puts human touch to problem. Shows customers that they matter.
We all have bad days – I get that. But the next time your phone is ringing off the hook and you know the reason – pick it up. The next time a customer tries to reach out to your company, forget about the $$ involved and do what’s right. Otherwise, you’ll end up like United.
Your thoughts?
