Call Center Management Featured Article
Should Call Center Management Make Social a Priority?
Social media – while it’s all around us and consumers are using it at astounding rates, some companies are still a little leery to make real investments in this space. For instance, a partner in a law firm recently asked me if people are truly searching for an attorney through social media. My answer – yes. That doesn’t mean they are pulling up Facebook (News - Alert) and typing in local lawyers as a search term. Instead, they’re using these channels to ask their friends.
The influence available within social media is significant. When researching to purchase a new blender, I saw the options that Amazon suggested I should buy. But how did I know the higher price would mean better quality? Yes, I read the reviews, but they were created by people I didn’t know. Instead, I posted a question on Facebook and asked people I actually know and respect what they recommended for my next blender. When 90 percent suggested the Ninja was the only way to go, that’s what I ordered.
While the Ninja company played no part in this conversation, the point is I took to social media to find an answer. I didn’t reach out to Ninja directly as I wanted a non-biased opinion. If I have a problem with my blender, however, I could reach out directly through the same channels. The question for Ninja call center management is whether I’ll take to their channels or to the phone. At this stage, I’m not even sure Ninja monitors social media for customer engagement.
If not, the company could be missing out on important opportunities. For instance, if I decide I have a problem with a product, I may take the opportunity to post something on the company’s Facebook page to try and get a fast response. It also helps that this is a public page and the company may be more motivated to respond quickly. In fact, this is often my mode of operation when trying to reach GoDaddy. When the hold time is more than five minutes, I’ll post my issue on Twitter (News - Alert) for a quick response.
For the business using Facebook under call center management for customer care, there are a few tips you can put in place to keep conversations focused on quality. According to Barry Moltz in an AdWeek post, the way you handle customers on Facebook will either prove your claims of quality care true or false. He also suggests that you find the conversations taking place about your brand (Ninja missed the boat on this one). It’s also important to make customer care a priority on these channels if you’re going to have a presence and be transparent in your customer care.
Morra Aarons-Mele suggested in the Harvard Business Review that a viral post about less than stellar customer care about a well-known brand should warrant a response from that company, yet her own experience provided otherwise. Even with mass and social media coverage on the issue, naming the brands involved didn’t elicit a response. Does this mean the brands don’t consider the coverage important? Are they not monitoring social media channels for their brand mentions to even know?
The point is, consumers are paying attention and if they’re considering buying from you, they will take to their social media channels to see how you perform. If call center management isn’t making this a priority, you could be losing customers.
As for Ninja, I’m thrilled with my blender.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi