More and more business have started to understand the importance of a good social media integration into the customer service department. However, there are still plenty of business leaders who are not convinced that social media can make such a big difference or even work at all if used this way.
Those who are not eager to implement such communication extensions usually have plenty of justifications at hand. Next, we’ll present you just the 6 most common of them, to see if your boss uses or not one of them:
1. We are unable to control it
No one in the entire business history has been able to control all the media channels to their advantage (that’s unless we’re referring to an authoritarian country and a government agency, of course). Think about it: were you ever able to control what the national media had to say about you? Or were you ever able to control the negative experiences of your customers? Unpleasant things may happen at time, but a savvy business knows how to take advantage of them and turn them into more pleasant ones.
2. Its just a caprice
Is it so? If then, we may assume that marketing, sales, relationships, and customer service are all caprices, since they’re only there because the customers demanded it. Social media is not only a tool to reach your users more easily, but its also a tool which encompasses all the above domains at the same time.
3. Its not where most customers are
Did you know that according to the latest stats, Facebook numbers more than 1,1 billion users? At the same time, Twitter has exceeded 500 million users worldwide, with 340 million tweets being released everyday. With this in mind, are you still thinking that the social media is not the place where your clients are? Think of it: how many people pay attention to a street ad and how many do a reputable Facebook brand page? Numbers tell everything.
4. It will make us vulnerable
Surprisingly, many business leaders think that a social media presence would make them more vulnerable in the face of their competitors. However, this is highly arguable, as without a constant media presence you’ll be way less in touch with your audience and thus you’ll be unable to deal quickly and effectively with their issues.
5. I’m interested in more important things
This is another excuse which business leaders seem to use more and more often. So, you take your time to invest in your professional side by attending conferences or going to trade journals, you find time for hobbies such as golf or cricket, and you even take a walk in the park every now and then. What makes you think that the social media is less important than all these? For instance, Twitter has been used for a variety of supporting purposes, including the immediate help of the Haitian earthquake survivors. Plus, Twitter and Facebook have been intensely used in the U.S. election campaign. Therefore, if you still think a social media presence is not important, then you might not be the best person to be in charge of the communications department. The world evolves fast, and the only way in which a company can survive this harsh environment is by adapting to the changes.
6. The ROI of social media needs to be redefined
There are some very intriguing posts written regarding the attempts to form new metrics for the social media like the come back on influence and the come back on engagement. These accurately demonstrate the advantages social media is able to deliver. The challenge is that after we produce new metrics we’ve got to pay lots time and effort educating our management groups on what they really are, and the way in which they correlate with all other communication means. Therefore, it’s recommendable that you first specialise in the exploitation metrics within your organization. If you’re only wasting the time attempting to coach a department on what an exponent, fan, or retweet is, you may be wasting precious time that could be centered on customer conversations instead.
Building a constant social media presence definitely takes time and resources. However, all other departments which are required for the success of your organization do the same. Consider IT, human resources, and so on. A well-thought social media existence is not only vital in our days, but it also able to open the path to multiple opportunities, ones that cannot be found through other means. This is the reason why customer service cannot exist without an active social networking implication anymore.
