Are you prepared to lose control on social media channels?

Our latest presentation highlights a new and very real threat... and opportunity

I recently delivered a presentation entitled 'Social Media for Customer Service', something we were asked to do by an attendee at the New Media Breakfast.  You can read a summary of the presentation here.

It was during the preparation of this presentation I realised just how much the customer service role has changed and to what extend the lines between social media marketing and customer service have become blurred.  It has even led me to believe the main driver for participation on social media channels in the future will be customer service and not marketing.

More and more people are using social media channels for their customer service enquiries, complaints and compliments and this can spell trouble for organisations that are not monitoring those channels.  The demand for 'social customer care' is undoubtedly growing and all business must take note and be prepared for an enormous increase in this activity.  A recent survey by Simply Measured revealed that 30% of the Interbrand 100 companies now have dedicated Twitter accounts for customer service.  It also revealed a massive increase in customer service activity on social media channels in the last 3 months. 

But, it's not all bad news because the data that can be collected from this activity can tell you lots about your customers, not least what they want and, where they want to engage with you.  It also provides the opportunity to use customer service activities as part of your marketing activity - this is where the blurring of the lines can become problematical.  Most social media activity is currently conducted by the marketing department and they are not trained in customer service.  Furthermore, customer service personnel don't usually have expertise in social media.

The presentation did provide a valuable insight into the potential pitfalls and the opportunities now available when incorporating customer service into your social media strategy.  For me, one of the greatest opportunities is the ability to empower all of your staff to be involved in social customer care - a true method of encouraging innovation from the ground up and an excellent opportunity to WOW your customers.  This can all be achieved without fear of them interfering with your brand's marketing messages - the presentation did provide useful examples of this type of activity.

So, why this blog post?
I truly believe this is an enormously important topic - it should be revealed to all of your staff. fatBuzz is offering bespoke presentations to organisations interested in finding out what they need to do to avoid the pitfalls that can be encountered when the consumer takes control by posting about you on social media channels.  Likewise, we will demonstrate why it also presents a valuable opportunity to use your customer service issues to market your business in a very effective and productive manner.

We will use our existing material as the basis of the presentation but, where possible, we will tailor it to your specific market sector and, we will allow plenty of time for a Q&A session.

Who should be in attendance?
We believe every organisation regardless of size and market sector should be aware of this important subject.  We also believe it is useful to every member of staff, from senior management down; you may decide to be more selective but we are happy to tailor it to appeal to everyone in the organisation.

If you would like to discuss your specific requirements with a view to booking a presentation please call Gordon White on 0141 427 0727 or email me at gordon@fatbuzz.com.  I will be happy to explore the options with you.

If you would like to see the original presentation we will be delivering it at the Lanarkshire New Media Breakfast on the 16th May, you can find out all the details here.

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