I was thinking a moment ago that we often mistake the use of social media within a customer service perspective, with the success or failure of that customer service experience.
How often have you heard someone say:
- That company has fantastic customer service. I tweeted my problem and it was picked up within minutes and sorted out soon after.
- That company has terrible customer service. I complained on Twitter and I haven’t heard anything back.
Actually, Twitter or social media is immaterial. It’s the attitude of the company that counts.
If a company values the customer above all else, then they are likely to provide a great customer experience no matter what. The flipside to this, is that if a company is not particularly customer-centric, then whether they use Twitter, email or the telephone, their customer service experience is likely to be less engaging.
At the end of the day, social media is just another communication channel. What brings it alive is the way a company chooses to use it. Focus on getting your attitude towards your customers right, and just use Twitter to express it.
