Digital Marketing Consultant

Have you ever thought, "Oh, man, that answer shows that the customer service rep has not read my email question.  He/she just sent a standard answer, which I have already read in the FAQ.  They are wasting my time and insulting me at the same time."

Customer service continues to be a major social media initiative for B2B companies, but not every customer service rep is ready to represent your company or brand online. Social profiles are usually managed by marketing, public relations, or even an outside agency, and often customer service personnel are charged with responding to product issues and service inquiries.

Studies have shown that people who complain on social channels are already dissatisfied with the response they received through traditional service channels (phone and email). This means that online responses need to be carefully composed to effectively answer the customer. While it is sometimes necessary to take the conversation offline, it can also be important for others to see the details of the situation. Frequently customer service reps are familiar with the customer and their issues, so it is less about solving the problem, and more about discussing it in a public space.

The following five points can help evaluate who in a customer service department can be initially responsible for creating and posting responses on social profiles.

1. They Have a Facebook Profile

Even though over half of the US population is on Facebook and it seems like everyone has a profile, there are still people who don’t. But just having a profile is a start for a customer service rep. Someone who is interacting with customers online needs to understand how people communicate on social networks. There is much less formality and often people post comments to get a reaction. If someone misses the tone of a post, they can respond inappropriately.

2. They Have Strong Writing Skills

Often customer service reps are hired for their people skills, their telephone skills and their ability to follow a script to resolve a situation quickly. Responding to customers in writing, whether in email or online, requires a different set of skills. Reps need the ability to combine standard answers with a customer’s specific problem in a clear and concise way. A simple writing test can determine how someone would respond online.

3. They Have Strong Product Knowledge

A good customer service rep must understand the product to be truly effective in responding to customers. Due to length requirements of online commenting, it is important to be able to write succinctly about product issues. It is much easier to discuss something briefly if you truly understand it. It is also likely that customers discussing products online, especially technical products, may have a deep understanding of product specs and functionality. Reps need to be able to interact at that level.

4. They Understand Public Perception

A good customer service rep understands that every response, whether it is made via phone, email or online, can be shared with the world. This is true in both positive and negative interactions. As that information spreads across other networks, the perception of others is shaped by that information. People who have worked for the company for a long time can sometimes be challenged by this significant change in their world view.

5. They Know They are on the Front Lines

No matter how much content and company messaging your B2B company puts out through traditional and online methods, an interaction with a customer service rep, even responding on a social profile, can completely change a customer’s opinion. If many B2B purchases are about relationships, make sure the customer service team is part of the relationship. Sometimes large companies have dedicated customer service teams to their largest customers, and this supports the relationship. This approach is about more than service. It’s about the relationship with specific people as well. Even in one time interactions, customer service reps are the company.

What are other ways to know if you B2B employees are ready for social media?

The first mistake a lot of new Internet marketing business owners make is thinking that because they have a good product and that they know their product that they will have a successful Internet or Digital business.

While it is true having a good product and being knowledgeable about the product is important, there is much more needed to be truly successful.   To gain your spot among the most successful Internet marketers will require the following:
•    Customer Service
•    Fundamentals of Internet marketing
•    Basic understanding Internet marketing

Regardless of the product being sold or even who is your target market, the basics of Internet marketing are the same.  Marketing has several phases which can turn an Internet marketing business into a successful online business.

To get your business going, you will need to generate traffic.  In order to obtain sales, you must have traffic to your site.  There are several different ways to create traffic.  Search engine optimization (SEO) is an effective method to obtain traffic for conversion on your site.  You want to make sure that your target market knows and understands your site is open and ready for business.

People will not visit if they do not know your site is in operation.   A marketing partner will be helpful in making your website known to your target market.  Some of the methods used are keywords, blogs, videos, articles, links, and media marketing such as Facebook, YouTube and others.

Creating the traffic is just one of the first steps.  In order to be successful, you will need to convert the traffic to sales. Your website should be built with the end result in mind.  You should be looking for sales of products, services, and information.

Encourage and entice your visitors to take the next step by making a purchase.  You want to make the sale and create customer loyalty to ensure future sales. Repeat visitors and purchases will be one of the ways to secure your future success.  Repeat customers are one of the greatest benefits to a business.  Customer service will go a long ways in securing repeat business from your customers.  

Don't hesitate to read the FREE Wisdom Book to learn and understand the processes.

Customer Satisfaction surveys will provide any business with information regarding customer service, customer loyalty, and opportunities for improvement.   The problem is a lot of surveys are handed out or mailed out but never get completed and mailed back in.   Perhaps you, too, have received such an interview and like so many others; it was tossed in the trash and never thought about again.

The problem even gets bigger when all the people who were dissatisfied with the service do respond and mail in their survey.   So if you have experienced this in business, you understand the impact of receiving a handful of surveys by the  dissatisfied customers who take the opportunity to tell all that was wrong.  Failure to engage and inspire your satified customers to complete and return satisfaction surveys becomes even more important to the overall picture for your business.

1.     Establish a customer form on your Internet site.   Ask your customers in a consistent manner to provide feedback.  Ask specific, but few questions to make it easy.  Don’t stand back afraid to ask for it.  Step out and actually extend an invitation.
2.    Have everyone in your business send customer service feedback forms to customers and visitors following any type of contact with the customer.
3.    Improve customer service rankings for social media sites to help offset poor feedback from your website visitors and customers.
4.    Answer slanderous and postitive comments on various websites. Use a tracking service, such as Trackle. 
5.    Increase your content on various sites other than your own (such as LinkedIn) to gain credibility. 

Don’t waste any time. Start listening to your customers and actively request feedback from them.  Offset negative comments with positive feedback received on various social media sites.  You will need to be proactive and quickly respond to areas of negative feedback on customer service to improve future feedback.   

And finally, if you would simply like to read some excellent material on the subject, go to http://bit.ly/WSIwisdomBook starting at page 93.

Who is sitting in the driver seat for your Internet or Digital Marketing strategy is best answered with another question.  What is one of the most important factors of your business success?  I believe I heard a resounding answer, customer retention!  That is the correct answer.

Never before has the need to create and connect with customers been so great.  Customers who have had a positive experience with your business can have a massive impact upon your success in a digitally highly connected age.

You need to think just how your customers impact your specific business.
1.     Your customers are connecting directly with your target market in the manner you want to connect to it.
2.    Unsatisfied customers have no problem sharing their experience with friends, even across social media sites that can spread quickly to hundreds and thousands of your EX-potential customers.
3.    Satisfied customers will share their experience if you make it both rewarding and easy for them to do this.
4.    Word-of-mouth recommendations from your clients will carry more weight than ad banners and other ads will every do.
5.    Repeat customers are golden.

You must be proactive in resolving any customer satisfaction issues quickly exceeding their expectations for rectification of the problem.  Failure to do so can be very costly by the ripple effect of bad feedback and discussion between your customer and your target market.

Providing an exceptionally pleasing experience for your customers is one of the best internet marketing strategies you can deploy in your online business.  Customer service for your business is just plain good common sense.  Yes, tritely said, the customer must be in the driver seat of your Internet or Digital Marketing strategy vehicle.

If you are seriously interested in knowing how to best retain customers, see our wisdom book.