Why don’t more brands engage with social media for customer service?
Each term I teach my introductory course in social media marketing, students always bring up the topic of social media use for customer service functions and the risks associated with incorrect implementation. Technology has brought upon many changes to the branding and marketing industries, specifically social media. Tools such as social media platforms, forums, video sharing, and mobile allow interaction between the brand and the consumer, and interactions between consumers themselves. This interaction is significant in that they can allow for real time dialog and can facilitate the exchange of experiences and preferences between consumers and to the brand as well. Should this dialogue take place on a brands webpage or blog, and include its products, the opportunity for creating and increasing brand equity is substantial. This sharing of information enables brands to gather and analyze data, and with that data, formulate strategies and policies that enhance customer satisfaction.
Given the environment today of on demand information, consumers can find a competitor in a matter of moments or a few click of a mouse. Therefore, brands need to foster an environment conducive to building loyalty. A satisfied customer becomes a loyal customer for a brand through continued positive experiences with the brand. Meaning, improving customer experiences at each touch point influences the loyalty of a consumer. Customers interact with sales staff, customer service, web pages, email, and even through social media. Each of these interactions is an opportunity for a brand to improve the customer experience, create a relationship, and nurture a relationship. Conversely, these are also opportunities to create a negative experience and drive the customer away. By evaluating these touch points, a brand can identify what customers think about the brand, what they value about doing business with the brand, and ultimately build the foundation for a long term relationship. A great example is Kmart, I recent wrote a bit about my experiences with brands via Twitter here.
An alarming trend in social media is the large amounts of brands that have active Twitter or Facebook accounts that do not respond to consumer interactions. Utilizing social media as a tool to learn more about consumers is becoming a real advantage to business. Those brands that choose not to reply to consumers are simply ignoring them, which is unacceptable. Whether the brand is using social media for customer service purposes, research, marketing, promotions, or the like, they need to be prepared before launching a social media endeavor. Read the entire article on MaximizeSocialbusiness.com
Jessica Rogers, PhD. 
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