We often meet companies, who want to be present on social platforms, because that’s where their customers are. A lot of those companies, however, treat their company Facebook page as just another showroom for their products – trying to control communication and cover up complaining customers. But that just won’t do! It’s too late.
Whether we are on Facebook or not, people talk about our brand and what they say define it. It’s beyond our control, but by joining in the conversion, we have an opportunity to learn about our customers, and show them our sincere interest in giving them the best possible experience.
Customers have moved beyond traditional marketing. They don’t want to be communicated to – they demand conversation. Not just on social media platforms, but also on your corporate website and other touch points where they meet your brand. They expect dialogue and quick response similar to good old fashioned up close and personal service.
Do you hear voices?
And the beautiful thing about conversation is that it requires listening as well as talking. So tune in to all the voices out there, and act on it. You might not like everything you hear, but embracing the unique opportunity of learning from the voices is vital to the success of any business.
Listening to your customers allows you to pinpoint areas for improvement and create customer experiences that exceed expectations and generate loyalty.
Identify your sources of information
Being alert and open to direct approaches from customers, suppliers, staff, the press and other stakeholders is certainly a start, but we recommend setting a game plan for your feedback gathering.
You need to identify the sources of information. Where do people talk about your company/brand and where would they like to be able to talk with you? It could be:
- Different types of social media like blogs, microblogs (eg Twitter), content communities (eg YouTube), social networking sites (eg Facebook)
- Feedback from your personal meetings with customers (eg customer service, sales persons)
- Contact via website (mail, chat, formula) etc., just continue the listing. Various technologies enable very detailed and actionable feedback mechanisms today.
Listening without action, however, is a waste of time. Companies need to engage in conversation, take proactive and corrective action and generally be prepared to alter and adjust plans continuously to optimize the customer experience.
Enjoy the conversation!
