I’ve been speaking to quite a few companies recently and many of them are undertaking change programmes looking at getting the basics right. Fixing those pipeline and broader customer service issues which over the years have become broken, or their original purpose has been lost under changing needs and workarounds.
What is interesting for me is that the social channels, particularly Twitter, is not only being seen as a key component of this change programme, but is also being defined within a broader customer service context. For many of those I have talked to, Twitter has earned its right to be there alongside telephone, email, web. The usual distinction between the social and traditional channels is not being made, and neither is a cursory lip service being paid to social either.
This is a positive development. I understand why we draw attention when social is involved and why we will continue to do so. @rwang0 recently Tweeted that he believes this distinction will continue until at least 2015:
@rwang0: MyPOV: moniker social goes away 2015. Social business is good business
In my view, the sooner we can move the conversation on away from the differences and unique characteristics of social, and focus on the outcomes that need to be achieved instead, the sooner the basics will begin to be righted, and the sooner we’ll all truly begin to have a proper conversation with each other.
