Socially inept: When the wrong social media channels affect your brand.

Social media is no doubt a viable communication channel in CRM, but how it’s used separates the successes from the failures.  How many call centers appropriately evaluate and implement the social channels their customers really want to use, versus what they think their customers want?  And beyond the channels themselves, how many call centers are backing the correct channels with the agents best equipped to manage them? 

When we look at our clients, time and time again we see a rush to use any and all emerging social media channels without the proper planning and research to use them appropriately for their customers.  While attempting to make their brand more approachable they’re negatively impacting it without even realizing it.  So while implementing a new social media channel might offer some operational efficiencies from the point of view of the business, it might be the wrong channel from the customer’s point of view, affecting their overall experience with the brand – and they’re going to let people know about it in real time.

Social media is above all a way of having an authentic conversation with your customers, but it has to be the conversation your customers want to have, and where they want to have it.  For example, if your agent is reading through a prepared script pushing the customer toward some tips on a Facebook fan page, but ignoring the fact that it’s an elderly customer who said at the beginning of the call they don’t have a computer, it’s time to start re-thinking your social strategy.   Transversely, if the caller has asked if there are online tools to help them troubleshoot a problem, don’t insist on keeping them on the phone.  Below are just a few customer quotes we’ve seen illustrating the good, the bad and the ugly with social media in the call center:

“Why do I care about becoming a Facebook fan for a toaster? You can’t be serious.”

“Thanks for the quick Tweet back to me with the direct customer service number.  It really saved me from digging through my warranty paperwork!”

“I wish you’d tell your agents to stop calling me at home to take a survey about this product.  I indicated on my registration I only wanted to be contacted by email.  Here’s a survey tip – start looking at your own surveys!”

Happy Monday!