Week 3: Part 1
When looking at different customer service trends among businesses, each company offers their own type of service. These services are often displayed online through their online reputation. With the way the online community is evolving, it is becoming easier for customers to contact companies through social media. I have faced moments where it was difficult for me to contact a company and others where it was easier than ever.
I experienced difficulty reaching a company that I once purchased a shirt from. I bought a shirt from a small Etsy shop that I found on Instagram and the shirt was too small. I initially received contact right away when I direct messaged the seller through Instagram and let them know that their product was not a great fit. She was very nice and told me that if I sent back the shirt she would immediately send one in a size that would fit. I quickly sent the shirt back however, I had not received the shirt for a whole month after returning it. I decided at this point I would check back in with her to see what the delay might be. However, throughout the multiple times I tried to contact her, I never got a single response. To this day I have still not seen my $30 or my new shirt which is a prime example of failed customer service. While the seller was quick to initially respond, she failed to maintain that communication that was established.
I have also had times where I was easily able to contact companies for a response through social media. One day my coworker and I were looking at all the different dairy free coffee options and we started talking about Pete's coffee. We decided we would message them through Facebook to find out about their dairy free options. We received a response within 3 minutes informing us about all the different options that were available.
After we had our positive experience with Pete's coffee, my coworker and I decided this was something we wanted to implement within our own company. We realized the importance of responding in a timely manner to those who reach out. We began taking steps to actively improve our response time. In doing this, customers were then able to see that we were active on our Facebook page and they could even see the approximate response time. This caused our inquiries through social media messaging to increase which in turn has been great for business.
At my company we have also discovered the importance of maintaining a positive online reputation through review sites. Recently I have taken over our online reputation management and we have purchased a dashboard service to help us more effectively respond to reviews and comments. This dashboard shows us when we receive a review, if it has been responded to, and what the trends are in our reviews. Through this I have learned that it is important to personalize responses when individuals leave reviews. The general public does not desire to read a generic review. They want to see their issues addressed, their positive comments awcknoledge, and their problems solved. In my job I have found that it is important to address negative reviews with a customer service oriented attitude. It is often easy for us to become defensive and say "we didn't do that" or "you're being dramatic" however, that is definitely not what the angry customer wants to hear. It is essential that the gust feels that they have been heard and that we take any negative comment very seriously. On the flip side, it is important that we express gratitude for those leaving positive comments and reviews so that they know we appreciate them. It can be a strenuous job to keep up with every comment and review however, it is essential to running a successful social media presence.
I experienced difficulty reaching a company that I once purchased a shirt from. I bought a shirt from a small Etsy shop that I found on Instagram and the shirt was too small. I initially received contact right away when I direct messaged the seller through Instagram and let them know that their product was not a great fit. She was very nice and told me that if I sent back the shirt she would immediately send one in a size that would fit. I quickly sent the shirt back however, I had not received the shirt for a whole month after returning it. I decided at this point I would check back in with her to see what the delay might be. However, throughout the multiple times I tried to contact her, I never got a single response. To this day I have still not seen my $30 or my new shirt which is a prime example of failed customer service. While the seller was quick to initially respond, she failed to maintain that communication that was established.
I have also had times where I was easily able to contact companies for a response through social media. One day my coworker and I were looking at all the different dairy free coffee options and we started talking about Pete's coffee. We decided we would message them through Facebook to find out about their dairy free options. We received a response within 3 minutes informing us about all the different options that were available.
After we had our positive experience with Pete's coffee, my coworker and I decided this was something we wanted to implement within our own company. We realized the importance of responding in a timely manner to those who reach out. We began taking steps to actively improve our response time. In doing this, customers were then able to see that we were active on our Facebook page and they could even see the approximate response time. This caused our inquiries through social media messaging to increase which in turn has been great for business.
At my company we have also discovered the importance of maintaining a positive online reputation through review sites. Recently I have taken over our online reputation management and we have purchased a dashboard service to help us more effectively respond to reviews and comments. This dashboard shows us when we receive a review, if it has been responded to, and what the trends are in our reviews. Through this I have learned that it is important to personalize responses when individuals leave reviews. The general public does not desire to read a generic review. They want to see their issues addressed, their positive comments awcknoledge, and their problems solved. In my job I have found that it is important to address negative reviews with a customer service oriented attitude. It is often easy for us to become defensive and say "we didn't do that" or "you're being dramatic" however, that is definitely not what the angry customer wants to hear. It is essential that the gust feels that they have been heard and that we take any negative comment very seriously. On the flip side, it is important that we express gratitude for those leaving positive comments and reviews so that they know we appreciate them. It can be a strenuous job to keep up with every comment and review however, it is essential to running a successful social media presence.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteGirl, get that shirt! :) Are you able to report them, which in turn may motivate them to give you a refund and an apology? I wish you luck with that. It sure can be frustrating and I am sorry.
You make a fabulous point that it is important to recognize the positive feedback and the negative as both are very important. Also responding in a timely manner is very important.
How we take care of our customers before, during and after says so much about who we are and you are very wise to recognize that.
I wish you much success with your business.
D-
Tiffany, I enjoyed reading your post. It was well thought-out and made some good points. Might I inquire as to which dashboard you are using and what you think of the interface?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! The current dashboard we just purchased was through our website creator’s who specialize in apartment marketing. We are using LeaseLabs reputation dashboard however, I know there are others out there that can do the same thing :)
Delete