Tag Archives: customer service
Just over an hour ago, Gary V finished what was probably the best talk I have seen so far at SXSWi 2011. I have a bit of a bias towards rating Gary V’s talk, as I’ve read his previous book, Crush It, and I also watch his v-blogs from time-to-time. But to be honest, he hit on everything that makes for a good talk for me, as well as left us all in the room with a strong message on how we can re-think customer experiences and interactions.
What made it so good? Well, here’s a quick breakdown:
Passion = check, Multiple F bombs = check, A clear POV and strong case to back it up = check, Free schwag (see pencil in picture) = check
Greet everyone by name at the door and thank them for coming to the talk before it even begins = check, Captivate an entire room = check
Leave everyone in the room with the feeling that they have to go out and do something (sometimes better) = check
But I want to go back to his message for a quick second. Gary’s talk focused on what he’s calling the “Thank You” economy, or what’s also referred to as the “humanization of business”. It was about caring for your customers, thanking them for their business and valuing their relationship beyond the dollars and cents. I won’t be able to do Gary justice in describing his book, so I’ve put a link to it here.
Extraordinary experiences come in a variety of forms, from the awe-inspiring Web site to a reminder of why you love your job. As a community moderator, my latest brush with an extraordinary social media experience was the latter. I was moved from blind-rage to placid-graciousness by one man and a Twitter handle. The story is one of Twitter customer service; at the end of the day, a well-served customer will shout your name from a mountain.
Flashback to Wednesday, Jan 12:
It all started with a call from an anonymous 800 number during my evening commute. It’s always jarring for anyone to get a call from a collections agency, but for someone who was taught to guard her credit with the same force as her purity, it’s especially disheartening. I was told that I owed $33 for a $25 modem that had been returned my senior year of college. Senior year: a lifetime ago, or 2.5 years, depending on how long your life is. Something felt off about this.
Flash forward through 2 hours of cell phone minutes later:
Feeling myself turn into an unpleasant person–and that’s generous–I removed myself from helpline purgatory and turned to Social Media. I had an “oh yeah!” moment on the consumer side of the Twitter customer service equation. Just when I needed someone to cut the crap, the 140-character limit came to my rescue.
One bitter tweet later:
Thinking I could get a reaction with the following tweet
“Oh hey UW grads, remember how terrible @Charter was? Still are. 2.5 years later – they decided that I lost a modem & billed me for it.”
I waited. Along came a Charter Communications representative, who used four Twitter consumer-relations tactics to neutralize the brand hater (i.e. me).
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” – Sam Walton
We live in a world where we have access to just about anything and everything with a click, or two, of a button. There was a time when you would hear people talk about customer service and you would assume they were sharing a positive experience. Now when you hear customer service, you think of your worst story ever.
One of the keys to a successful business is how much emphasis you place on CRM. Henry Ford once said, “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” Whether you order a steak in a restaurant or purchase an iPad online, now more than ever consumers expect to be “taken care of.” Fulfilling the feeling like you’re being “taken care of” can come in many different forms but the one true key is simple… just LISTEN!
Almost any business can get a customer to try their product or service once. In order to have the consumer return, companies need to pay special attention to providing a positive experience from awareness to purchase and far beyond. Organizations retain customers online and offline simply by listening. People want to be heard. They will share their experiences and opinions if you ask (even when you don’t ask) in the hopes you will improve their experience. Listening to your audience shows that you care about them individually and can even make them feel like they are a part of your brand, which builds advocacy. If your customer–and specifically, your customer who belongs to a branded social community–thinks their opinion matters and they feel like they have influence on how you operate your business, the sky is really the limit.
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