By Toni Carey (@toni_carey)
In an age where time is money and money is time, most businesses have either forgone their customer service initiatives or put them on a back burner. While the majority of consumers have given up on “stellar” customer experience, I’m one of the few people that still snail mails companies to provide feedback on my experience(s) with their staff.
As a Gen-Yer who has worked in retail, I have to admit that my expectations on quality customer service and the timeliness of a response to a complaint is high.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) technology has made it easier for consumers to complain. It would be easy for companies to take the easy way out and not integrate technology and social media into their customer service model, but several companies are taking advantage of the medium to directly connect to their consumer base. It’s well known that Twitter users like to complain and vent. And I’m one of those people.
If you aren’t using Twitter as a customer service tool, you should. Here’s a few tips to make the most of out of it:
Create a Social Media-Marketing-Customer Service Twitter Task Force: Your social media, marketing and customer service departments should be working together to tackle tough questions and address criticism. Don’t just listen, respond. Ask how you can make a bad situation better. A little love goes a long way.
Tone Matters: Recently I vented on Twitter about how disappointed I was that Nike sold out of their newly launched Nike+ Sportwatch and how I’d spent the money I saved on new clothes. Their response was not only timely, but made me laugh. I briefly forgot how ticked off I was that these cool watches were out of stock. Although every complaint/criticism/rant should be taken seriously, you can lighten the situation by showing a sense of humor. No one wants to feel like they’re talking to a robot or stuck in voicemail hell.
Make It Easy: On the other hand, I took to Twitter again to complain about a recent experience with a postal service. They replied and asked me to email them to explain my experience. While I appreciated their response, I didn’t have the time to stop what I was doing and write an email. They could have easily DM’ed me to get more details and handle it from there. Don’t make your customers take extra steps that aren’t necessary. I think that it’s important to note that before I posted my complaint on Twitter, I complained to the delivery guy and the local store. It got me nowhere.
The Customer is ALWAYS Right – Even When They Aren’t.: Yes, the saying still holds true, at least in the minds of consumers. The easiest way to maintain and/or save your reputation is showing your customers you appreciate them, even if they are wrong or don’t have a valid complaint. If not, they might just make a music video about you. Ask United Airlines how that worked out for them.
It’s nice for companies to respond to customers on Twitter from a PR point of view, but you can’t expect them to handle actual customer service issues via 140 characters. I do agree with your post though, Twitter can be a great way to air grievances or praise a product or service with an otherwise unreachable corporation.
Thanks for the great post! Twitter is absolutely a place to connect with customers and create a real experience for them. I recently wrote about this interesting experience after tweeting a complaint about MultiVu: http://relatingpublicly.blogspot.com/2011/03/twitter-press-releases-connections-and.html
This post really made me consider how some companies inappropriately use their Twitter to respond to complaints. The manner in which Nike handled your complaint made me laugh as well, but I could potentially see some people getting offended by their response. Your outlined tips are great. They break down, very simply, how companies should handle complaints properly. I worked for Nordstrom throughout high school and some of college, so I definitely understand the value of the saying, “The Customer is ALWAYS Right – Even When They Aren’t.” Thank you for adding that in!