by Nicole Egan
Who’s observing your commitment (or lack thereof) to customer service? Thanks to social media, maybe everyone! We mentioned in a previous post here that a recent study revealed that 95% of companies (from consumer and beauty to OTC and healthcare) believe that satisfied customers are very or extremely important to their company. Unfortunately more companies need to put their money where their mouth is and do a better job of resolving customer service issues, because the world is watching in many instances. Traditional customer service and social media marketing are now interconnected and communications strategies should be consistent across both platforms.
Recently, I had my own experience with customer service on both ends of the spectrum.
First, I had an issue with a major electronics company. After getting nowhere with several rounds of back and forth with customer service, I took my complaints to the company’s Facebook page for all to see, as a last resort. Even after being contacted as a result of that, I was still left with no answers and no desire to buy from that company ever again. On the flip side, I recently bought a beauty item that broke immediate. After contacting customer service, I received in the mail, a nicely printed letter and a coupon for the full retail value of the item. I was never asked to return the original product and was beyond impressed with this. I’ll definitely keep purchasing from this company and will continue to sing their praises to my friends.
If companies handle issues privately, they’ll never become a public matter. Since social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, make it so easy for people to make their complaints public, smart companies work to prevent this from happening by employing strategies that allow customer service to exceed expectations instead of disappointing. It’s no secret that if you treat a customer with respect, you may have a customer – and advocate – for life.
Tags: Facebook, healthcare public relations, healthcare social media, Marketing, OTC brand marketing, OTC marketing, PR, social media PR, Twitter