Trying to get the attention of a business can be one of the hardest things imaginable - I know from personal experience! Most of the time, you're routed into automated voice messages and solutions that you've tried before, and it takes forever to get in touch with another real person to try and have your problem even acknowledged, let alone looked at. It's a real hassle - but thankfully, with the advent of social media, those problems are...alleviated, at the very least.
Social media - especially Twitter, in this case - does make it easier to get noticed. Tagging the customer service account for the business in question - or even people you know who are employed there -can help raise awareness of your issue. On top of that, others with the same issue come out of the woodwork to report on it as well, adding their voices to yours. These sorts of waves can draw the attention of even the higher ups in a business, which usually leads to an elevated state of trying to get the problem solved - the squeaky wheel gets the oil, after all.
I myself haven't really dabbled in using social media to have issues solved, though I've been privy to plenty of them from the sidelines. Oftentimes a user or consumer will report an issue via a tweet or a post, and that continues to grow and grow until a CS rep sees it and elevates it to the next person up, so on the chain it goes.
If I were to be in charge of that for a business, I think what's most important is keeping a professional attitude, even if you're trying to help and they're being aggressive or abusive towards you. There's nothing worse than making a smart aleck off hand statement to someone who's having an issue! That'll just blown up even further, and can cost you your job. Respond with thanks for polite comments - maybe a personalized message if you remember interacting with them, and for negative ones, remain polite here too. Apologize for their problem, offer a solution if you can, but don't try and play it off like no big deal. That's sure to get them even madder.
Social media - especially Twitter, in this case - does make it easier to get noticed. Tagging the customer service account for the business in question - or even people you know who are employed there -can help raise awareness of your issue. On top of that, others with the same issue come out of the woodwork to report on it as well, adding their voices to yours. These sorts of waves can draw the attention of even the higher ups in a business, which usually leads to an elevated state of trying to get the problem solved - the squeaky wheel gets the oil, after all.
I myself haven't really dabbled in using social media to have issues solved, though I've been privy to plenty of them from the sidelines. Oftentimes a user or consumer will report an issue via a tweet or a post, and that continues to grow and grow until a CS rep sees it and elevates it to the next person up, so on the chain it goes.
If I were to be in charge of that for a business, I think what's most important is keeping a professional attitude, even if you're trying to help and they're being aggressive or abusive towards you. There's nothing worse than making a smart aleck off hand statement to someone who's having an issue! That'll just blown up even further, and can cost you your job. Respond with thanks for polite comments - maybe a personalized message if you remember interacting with them, and for negative ones, remain polite here too. Apologize for their problem, offer a solution if you can, but don't try and play it off like no big deal. That's sure to get them even madder.
I agree with twitter being a good solution to alleviate the frustrations that came from waiting on hold to talk to a customer service representative. It is crazy how small issues can be handled so quickly and positively with a couple brief twitter interactions and that interaction can leave us even more loyal to the brand! Nice post!
ReplyDeleteStrongly agree with how you said remaining professional is of utmost importance. Your last paragraph made me remember a "ACP" on the adobe animate help forums who would always give short/rude/figure it out type answers to people, starting arguments and helping no one.
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