With four out of five Americans now using social networks, the era of social networking clearly has arrived, creating significant implications for enterprises. Today, there are compelling rewards for embracing social networks—and potentially severe penalties for putting it off any longer.
This white paper outlines four key ground rules for engaging with social networks in order to maximize their potential for improving customer service.
Introduction
The customer is always right. If there had been any doubt about the truth of that adage, social networking has eliminated it completely. While delivering a satisfying experience has always been important, social networks make it more vital than ever. Social networking represents both a stick and a carrot in motivating organizations to improve customer service:
- The stick. Social networking can dramatically exacerbate the impact of a customer service failure, giving dissatisfied customers a means to publicly vent their frustrations and, in the process, spread negative impressions that can reduce trust, loyalty, and sales. It provides a bandwagon to join for people who normally remain silent or just leave.
- The carrot. By effectively engaging with customers through social networking, organizations can foster unparalleled loyalty and gain invaluable insights that can improve not only customer service but also quality assurance, product roadmaps, and marketing—all while building brand equity.
In short, enterprises have a lot to gain by embracing this paradigm and a lot to lose if they don’t. For those organizations plotting their initial foray into the social networking world—or for those early in the execution of their social networking initiatives—what are some of the key ground rules for social network engagement? This white paper reveals some of the critical considerations in leveraging social networking to effectively maximize its potential.
