Social media can be a powerful platform for customer service. Conversations take place in real-time (or close to it based on your company’s bandwidth) and organizations have the ability to catch issues before they escalate if they are actively monitoring their channels.
Using social media is part of my job, but even more it is part of my daily life as a general consumer. Therefore, I am impressed when a company responds or proactively engages with me on Facebook or Twitter in a transparent, relevant way.
Most recently I was pleasantly surprised by PostNet, a business services retailer offering copying, shipping, and finishing services. On Monday around 11 a.m., I checked in to FedEx Kinkos on Blake Street downtown using FourSquare. I was there to pick up a wedding-related project that had been dropped off two nights prior, and still ended up spending an hour waiting for a few things to be fixed. Needless to say, I was frustrated and shared my discontent via Twitter:
Less than 24 hours later, I was surprised to find the tweet below in my @Mention stream.
What does this tell us? Sure, PostNet seems to have a social media monitoring feed to track competitors like Kinkos. But what is more interesting to me is that they are taking it a step beyond just “watching” to actually reach out to people like me to introduce the company (which I had never heard of) and offer personalized service if I want to give them a try.
Yes, it is an aggressive approach and an organization needs to carefully think through any social media customer service strategy that includes engaging with people who talk about the competition—but in the case of the underdogs, it can be a powerful way to make your voice heard.
What is your brand’s social media strategy for customer service? Or, is there an instance when you were pleased – or upset – by the way a company dealt with your feedback via social media?
~Alexis Anzalone
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