We talk a lot on this blog about using social media to attract new customers. Many businesses are beginning to understand this idea, but are still missing out on one other crucial function of social media: customer service.
Increasingly, customers are turning to Twitter and Facebook to get their complaints answered. It’s often a court of last resort: they’ve tried traditional routes like the phone, and received no satisfaction. Many big companies get it. Delta Airlines, ATT, Comcast, and dozens of other big players have social media channels devoted to customer service.
But small companies are lagging behind. Recently, both Lorraine and Taylor have run into local businesses (who shall remain nameless) who just didn’t get it. Taylor tweeted about a recent unpleasant experience at a car dealership, tagging them in the post. It took the dealership more than two weeks to respond.
Lorraine had problems getting a company to answer the phone after repeated calls, so she posted to their Facebook fan page. Less than 30 minutes later, they called her, apologizing for the delay, but also asking her to not post questions on their fan page, because “we don’t respond that way.”
Both of these companies would be better off with no social media presence. A radical thought–everyone should be on social media, right? Not if you aren’t going to use it. These companies both wound up looking foolish. Why bother having a social media page if you resent questions on it, or if you just aren’t going to check it?
If you’re just using Twitter and Facebook for marketing and ignoring the customer service component, do yourself and your customers a big favor: delete your pages now.
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Want to learn more about the right way to use Social Media?
Join us for a session of Social Media Stew –
Tuesday, March 29th from 3:30 – 5:00.
Trustpointe Offices: 6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis, IN
Admission is fee, but reservations are requested