When Customers Tweet – Do You Listen?When customers are having problems they want your company to help. When they can’t get help in person or by phone, they turn to their computers. Many reach out to social media sites like twitter to get a company’s attention.
Something you might not know about your customers is this: Their perception of you is damaged when you don’t respond to their tweets.
My coauthor, Lori Jo Vest and I were guests on Michigan Entrepreneur TV last week. During the interview, our host shared her customer experience after getting no response from a tweet. She was especially upset because she had taken the time to seek out the correct party’s twitter handle and use it in her tweet. (Today’s customers are savvy and know how to ferret out useful information.) She said, “I will never do business with that company again!” Are your customers saying that about you?
I’ve seen friends and colleagues share similar complaints. Here’s the bottom line.
When you don’t respond to a customer’s complaint on Twitter, they think:
- This company is behind the times, they’re not innovative, and perhaps no longer relevant to me.
- This company is ignoring me, and I feel slighted.
- Since they don’t care about me or my money, I’ll find someplace that does.
The truth is – you might care a great deal about the customer, but by failing to respond, you damage the customer’s confidence in you. Don’t lose another customer. Put processes in place to monitor your business on twitter. Here’s one quick way to get started, so you don’t miss a tweet.
If you don’t have a clue of how to use social media, it may seem overwhelming to learn how to monitor and respond appropriately. One helpful tool is www.tweetbeep.com. This site will allow you to type in your keywords and it will do the monitoring for those words for you. Here are some of the keywords I type in:
My name: “Marilyn Suttle”
The title of my book: “Who’s Your Gladys?”
My company name: “Suttle Enterprises”
My coauthor: “Lori Jo Vest”
I also type in “Customer Service Training” so I can track what people are saying about that topic. The free service sends you an email every hour – if you want it that often – with the tweets that match your keywords. Even if your customers are more up-to-speed on social media than you are, this little tool can keep you from losing them as you put customer service into place in this arena.
Here’s something else you might not know about your customers that could make them happier, loyal and vocal advocates: Customers will love your company forever if you help them feel smart by experiencing success on twitter. When you respond to their tweets, here’s what happens:
- Customers feel smart when they’re successful using online tools.
- Since they’re using social media, the odds are good that they’ll send out positive tweets and Facebook messages to others about your response.
- Customers feel like they matter to you which will cement a long-term customer relationship.
What do you think? How can you use social media to enhance your company’s reputation with customers?
Other articles you might like:
- Does social media help or hurt?
- Twitter is a business owner’s best friend . . . really!
- Social media elevates the power of Nice
- Top 10 Social Media Brand Segments
- Twitter Beats Customer Support at Comcast
And if you are on Twitter you need to really be on Twitter. Nothing worse than a company that says they are all over Twitter but they never respond to a customer’s Tweets.
Great tips and ideas Marilyn – thanks!
KS
Great insight and advice Marilyn. If you are going to engage in the social media landscape you must be prepared to invest the time.
Great article! Thanks!
Tom
Thanks Kevin and Tom. I believe that twitter is well worth the investment of time. And in a strange way, it humanizes the companies who use it. Even though it’s over social media channels, personality, and genuine concern comes through.