Is Social Media The New Call Centre?

The Real Value of Social Media Customer Service

Are you ever frustrated with call centre delays, being put on hold, getting cut off, being diverted to several lines before you get to who you need to speak to resolve an issue? How do you feel about talking to the recording that rarely interprets your verbal three word prompt correctly and ends up diverting you to the wrong department for your query? Or even worse, you just can’t get through because they are experiencing above average call volume - that never seems to stop.

As the business landscape changes and technology and social media develop, will social media be the new five star standard in customer service delivery? Think that sounds outrageous, think again, it has already started.

Big business are converting more prospects into sales through social media than ever before, online sales in most categories are growing at remarkable rates. Instant response customer service is an expectation and consumers want customer service delivered in their communication landscape. People of all ages are spending more and more time on social media, globally consumers are taking the social experience mobile and predictions are that this shift will surpass all expectations over the next few years.

Brian Solis, author of The End of Business as Usual predicts, “2013 will bring about an expansion in social media beyond a marketing and engagement philosophy to that of oneness. Social media strategy will start to take a more integrated approach where social media becomes an extension of important channel strategies and business functions. It will be driven by a holistic effort where enterprise, business and functional strategies work to accomplish business objectives while meeting the needs and expectations of employees and customers”.

 This means business must prepare to have conversations with consumers on their terms.

Social media provides business with the opportunity to demonstrate the professional status of your company or organisation. It is a listening opportunity, a chance to talk with your consumer or potential consumer, and it is an opportunity to engage those who are likely to want or need what you offer. Using social media you can establish a relationship that meets the needs of both parties. You can educate and inform potential buyers and reach a much larger market than traditional marketing platforms in a more personal way.

Conversation is the starting point for that relationship with your customer, it is one of the most natural ways of building a relationship. The increased use of social media by consumers over the past few years paved the way for a logical shift  that brings a value add to the customer conversation and relationship. Social media conversation allows you the opportunity to reach more customers faster and more affordably than ever before. A conversation with one customer on your Facebook page will in all probability respond to similar questions from many customers therefore you are not conversing with one customer, you are problem solving or providing valuable information that may be the deciding factor in your company being a trusted brand to many potential and existing customers.

A recent article by sellingpower.com states; “A prospect turns into a lead when you start a real conversation with them, great conversation is two-way. The best conversation is an exchange of ideas that benefits both parties. A great sales leader, Gerhard Gschwandtner put it this way: “Ditch the pitch. Co-create with the customer. Make them part of your value chain.”

Brand loyalty is built on trust, trust is established through conversation, and online conversations utilising social media channels such as Facebook creates an immediate opportunity for customer engagement. Responding to consumers in a timely manner on social media demonstrates that you are open and an accessible.

Remi Carlioz, senior head of digital at PUMA, is blunt and to the point in his article on Digiday, “It is undoubtedly necessary to find and engage with people where they digitally reside, rather than relentlessly, always trying to usher them back to a brand’s owned platform. Brands are too self-centered and must boldly act on the desire that the consumer possesses; the desire to transparently experience and interact with a brand online.”

By Gail Worthington-Eyre

 

The Power of Branding on the internet

The importance of talking to grow and strengthen brand has always been acknowledged as the most powerful component of any successful branding campaign. Over the past few years the internet and ipad, smartphones and the apps developed to extend their value have catapulted the power of branding into the hands of anyone with a digital connection. Just look at the internet Marketing businesses popping up in the hundreds and thousands daily around the world. 

Word of mouth has now emerged to be even more powerful given a single persons word has the power to reach the farthest corners of the globe in a matter of just seconds. Big brands have cleverly used this to their advantage to get a head start on the vast majority of businesses around the globe. 

It is time for all businesses product or service based to be looking seriously at how they are going to ride the wave:

Extracts from - Allen Adamson book, 50 tips from Brands that lead 

• Word of mouth will happen with or without you. Use it to learn what you’re doing right. Use it to learn how you can improve the brand experience.

• Short jokes are easier to tell than long ones. Consumers can only tell your brand story the way you want it told if you’ve sharply defined it for them.

• Always remember that when something impacts a consumer’s life on a personal level they’re more likely to share it.

• For people to want to pass along a brand experience it must be extraordinary. Make sure you give them something to talk about.

• Make it easy for consumers to share your brand story with others. Give them a platform or forum to pass along their input.

• Consumers like to be recognized and thanked for their loyalty. Acknowledge consumers who have something nice to say about your brand. Reward their support.

• Consumers vote with their wallets. Treat your brand’s advocates like the shareholders they are.

By Gail Worthington-Eyre

Report Reveals How Consumers Use Mobile Phones Worldwide

Is your website configured for smart phone veiwing?

Smartphones are found all around the world — ubiquitous even in emerging markets such as China and India — but how you use the device depends greatly on where you live.

In a new report entitled "The Mobile Consumer: A Global Snapshot," research company Nielsen looked at consumer behavior, device preference and usage in 10 different countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, China, India and South Korea. 

Nielsen concluded that "usage differs significantly by market and demographic groups."

For example, the majority of mobile consumers in developed markets — such as South Korea (67%), Australia (65%) and the UK (61%) — tend to prefer smartphones. Basic feature phones, on the other hand, are more commonly used in India (80%), Turkey (61%) and Russia (51%). Mid-range multimedia phones, which have more capabilities than feature phones but less than smartphones, are least popular among users, with less than 10% usage in most countries (at 21%, Brazil boasts the highest percentage of multimedia-phone users among those examined in Neilsen's report).

For smartphone users, the types of apps used also differ between countries, though they all generally prefer games and social networking. Americans like to consult maps and browse social networks, while Chinese users enjoy playing games and are more likely to access news and weather updates on their mobile apps.

Nielsen is set to present some of its findings from "The Mobile Consumer" at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday.

Enabling website viewing for smartphones requires a simple app to ensure optimum viewing of your website from a smartphone. Visit www.howtogomo.com to test if your website is configured for smartphone viewing. http://mashable.com/2013/02/26/nielsen-report-consumers-mobile-phones/isit Mashable: http://mashable.com/2013/02/26/nielsen-report-consumers-mobile-phones/