Social media, the interaction between people through the Internet, through web 2.0 configurations and programs is in full swing. At least, as far as many of the social media websites and many of the newer versions of software - browsers, smart phones and the like - are concerned. It has been hyped, pushed, used, improved and tweaked no end. And yet, for some major companies, it doesn't seem to have come through yet. There are still many customer service related firms who either do not know the benefits of social media or have not implemented them yet.
Their loss, you may well say, but it goes a little bit deeper than that. It is the customers loss more than anything else. It is the customer who is losing out on benefits gained through web 2.0 simply because they still have to rely on the old contact processes, on contact forms and telephone lines.
Let's just take the two most popular social media platforms as examples: Facebook and Twitter. Both are ideally suited for quick and efficient interaction with the customer base of almost any company, whether it be an international one or just a local firm.
Most already have a Facebook page and use this to promote their products and services through the Like button. You appreciate a certain service or product, you click on Like to tell all your friends that you've found something and that it has worked well. Facebook users can also add comments, critical or otherwise, to the pages of their favorite or less favorite companies with the knowledge that someone is going to see the comment, even if they don't react to it. And anyone else hitting the page will also get to see the comment, unless the company concerned decides to delete it; a bad company practice admittedly, but one used to prevent creating a bad impression when a service or product has failed for potential future customers.
With one billion (Facebook figures) potential viewers it is one of the best contact possibilities available on the web today and has largely replaced the old web site contact.
The second popular social media platform is Twitter which, surprisingly, is underestimated by many companies. It has a potential for growth and contact with a real customer base in much the same manner as Facebook does, but allows for even more possibilities. With Twitter companies have not only the chance to quickly highlight what is on offer and link to their products, but also address concerns quickly and efficiently in a short and clear manner. Using the hashtags (key words prefaced with the # symbol) all manner of potential customers can be reached in a matter of seconds. With Twitter it is also not necessary to continually change from one screen to another, merely updating the Timeline brings new messages on the screen. There is also no need to build a second or third platform for information, a simple link to a web page or a photograph achieves this in seconds. And Tweets, the one hundred and forty character messages, appear on other people's Timeline as soon as they are sent. Replies are also easier, since using the original writer's @ tag - their contact name and address on Twitter - automatically sends the message to them as well as to anyone else visiting the company Timeline. Twitter is, in effect, a far more personal means of contact between firm and customer.
Why is Facebook considerably more popular than Twitter for customer service?
Firstly Facebook has considerably more weight for many than Twitter. A company page shows products with descriptions and photographs. Twitter merely shows links which take the potential customer to another site, although the latest version of Twitter does allow a photograph and some other media to be opened in the Timeline. Facebook has promoted itself considerably better than Twitter and will undoubtedly continue to do so.
Twitter, however, is far more attuned to customer service needs, in my opinion, than Facebook. Promotions with product descriptions are fine, but they do not always address customer needs. When a customer has a problem they wish to gain an answer, or the link to an answer, as quickly as possible. The old system, sending a mail through a contact page on the company web site or picking up the telephone, are no longer in tune with the younger generation. Added to which, telephoning a company to use their customer services is linked in many minds with long waits, with out-sourced help desks and people who do not, can not or will not help quickly and efficiently. Telephone calls are a single person speaking to a faceless single person, they do not allow for input from others who might be able to help with considerably more speed and efficiency than the help desk person, relying on their own experiences.
I recently had to contact a telephone company in Germany, the company which holds the contract for my smart phone. Obviously this is a slightly different case with my personal disabilities, but it highlights a specific need. The telephone company web site is complicated and filled with adverts for new offers and a vast array of rates, contract possibilities and specials which is hard to navigate through when you're seeking a quick answer. A contact mail sent will not necessarily be answered quickly, often not even within two or three days of sending, and the chances are that any reply will be a form reply (building block) which doesn't address needs.
Fortunately this particular company also has Twitter. Sadly, the four people listed as operators for the Twitter account only seem to be putting out (rare) adverts for new products and network upgrades. They do not answer any of the questions and complaints addressed through Twitter messages. The social media platform Twitter is, for Internet customers, useless at the moment. And yet, with four people operating this account, it has the potential to become a wonderful time saving contact medium for the company. Questions could be addressed in a matter of minutes - even with replies longer than 140 characters using a service such as Twitlonger - thus saving time and costs for the company.
How many companies appreciate the power of immediate reply?
Sadly, again, very few. We live in a society where almost everyone believes that they have very little time. We rush from one appointment to another, have our work times and our play times and always something to do. With the immediacy of the Internet, many expect - if not demand - that all the information they need is immediately available, which it could be. Patience, as far as the Internet is concerned, is a thing of the past. If my cell doesn't do what I wish it to do right now, it is useless. If I cannot get an answer on how to change this, the company is useless too, in the eyes of the customer.
Every company of any size which relies on customer contact today has an Internet page, has a Facebook page, has a customer service department, a help desk and someone designated to handle Internet matters. Most customer service departments are linked directly to the Internet so that they can find solutions on their own web site or answer mails when they arrive. Would the addition of an interactive Twitter account be too much of a burden on their working day? I don't believe so. I believe that the addition would be a massive enhancement of their efficiency and, above all, of their customer satisfaction ratings.
Good customer service - after sales, repair, general queries - is a major part of any company today. It promotes company loyalty amongst customers. Good customer service keeps customers, keeps people purchasing the same products. It is a matter of holding a good rating in the market place and, for me, Twitter, as much as Facebook, is part and parcel of the whole.
Viktoria Michaelis is an American student (born July 1992) currently resident in Germany on a Student Exchange Program Intensive Training Course in Property Management, Investment, Insolvency and Executive Management Skills prior to studying Business Studies and Economics at Bremen University. She regularly writes in her personal Blog at Viktoria Michaelis.
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