Why Don't You Care?

In today’s highly competitive marketplace and with many thanks to social media, the consumer has never had so much authority or influence as they do today.

But what’s still shocking is that many businesses that have a social media presence aren’t responding or listening when a consumer takes to Twitter with a complaint.

My case in point, - back on Friday September 9th my wife and I decided to grab lunch at the Pickle Barrel in Vaughan Mills Mall.  I tweeted my excitement to try the food as we sat down, with no response. Let it be said that there’s nothing better than when an establishment responds by welcoming you and telling you to let them know if they do anything to make visit more enjoyable.  So we ate our meal and after a not so great meatloaf experience, I tweeted again...

So today, Thirteen days later, I have still not received any type of response from the @PickleBarrel Account. - Really?! I know I only have a handful of followers, but my guess is that this organization just doesn’t realize or maybe worse doesn’t care that this tweet will be searchable forever.

Companies now have the option to not only take a phone call, but to take a Tweet or a Facebook post, listen, see who wrote it, and respond accordingly. Of course I don’t expect social media to replace anyone’s customer service department, but it can and should be used to increase businesses overall customer experience.

If your organization has committed to using social media please be prepared to respond quickly and graciously. In some cases you may need to - smother them with kindness - in an effort to offer an experience that exceeds their expectations.

If a customer has a major issue with no quick resolution in sight, suggest an email address to shift the conversation off any social media platform. Let the customer know that they are important, and that you will do your best to fix the issue. Your number one goal is to turn a not so good experience into a positive one, save the customer relationship, and get positive word of mouth. In addition, after you resolve the issue, following up with a quick Direct Message can encourage the customer to commend your responsiveness.

Solving these types of issues in real time through your company’s social channels shows your dedication, and transparency, to both the customer and any onlookers.

Do you use you social media channels to enhance your customer service efforts? Do you have any success stories to share with us?