Creating Greater Customer Trust With Twitter
Listening to Customers Using Social Networking Pays
Aug 12, 2009
Companies as diverse as Comcast, JetBlue, H&R Block, Marriott International, Southwest Airlines and many others use Twitter to listen to the voice of their customers and quickly resolve customer service problems. These companies and many others also use Twitter to offer special promotions just to their Twitter followers too.
Twitter has grown in importance so much to these companies that at a recent executive management meeting, 250 of the senior executives of Southwest Airlines were shown the Twitter feed for their airline in real-time as customers were asked to pose questions to them online. The results were impressive. Southwest Airlines managers realized how critical it is to get WiFi on their planes, and customers realized that Southwest Airlines really does want to listen and seek to continually improve.
Customer Listening is Key to Growth
There is a backlash among consumers today about being pushed into automated queues to have their requests for service handled – and many times ignored. Anyone who has ever tried to get through an automated voice response (AVR) system can attest to how difficult this experience is. Missing just one prompt and having to start over just increases the frustration and makes many customers think of switching companies altogether or demanding a refund once the call is connected.
Companies who are working hard to keep their customers understand that what they want most isn’t what is most cost-efficient for the company. There is an inherent conflict between companies who seek to save on costs and increase profits, while customers want support and responsiveness to their needs. Customers want a real person to talk to who will guide them through problems. They want to feel that their voice is heard. They want accountability.
Companies who are using Twitter really well understand this. They dedicate a person to their Twitter accounts, give them the authority to solve problems for customers, and make it clear that they are committed to listening and helping customers over this social networking site. Companies like Zappos.com, the online show retailer, have turned this into a passion. They encourage everyone in their company to have a Twitter account, and their CEO, Tony Hsieh personally responds to any customer who sends a short message over Twitter (called a Tweet) to him. Tony Hseih and Zappos.com have led many companies to believe that customer service can become a selling channel when done with enough effort and focus on satisfaction. Inc. Magazine has done an article analyzing why Zappos has been so successful with Twitter titled Zappos Finds a use for Twitter, Really! by Don Steinberg.
Using Twitter to Build Trust with Customers is an Excellent Strategy
For businesses, from individual proprietorships to large corporations who serve hundreds of customers a day, having a Twitter account are becoming a necessity. As companies of all sizes participate in these ongoing conversations with their customers, the lessons of how to build trust and stronger relationships through service are beginning to emerge.
Here are several of the key lessons learned from businesses engaging with their customers on Twitter:
- The most effective approach is to have an actual person in a company or organization is responsible for managing the Twitter account. The results attained by companies getting the best results with Twitter indicate that customers and the general public are far more interested in conversing with a real person than an automated online system. Having a person responsible for the Twitter account gives companies greater credibility too.
- Successfully using Twitter to connect with customers requires that a personal touch be evident in all interactions, from the development of the Twitter profile with employee's pictures, not the company logo, to the defining of the biography as well. Underscoring personal accountability to customers matters a great deal, and Twitter is providing companies with the ability to do that. The more transparent and honest a company is on Twitter, in fact throughout all of social networking, the more trusted customers will find them.
- Automated Direct Messages on Twitter are annoying to many users of the social networking site. Advocating that Twitter is more about conversations and less about advertising, the top performing companies using this social network do not Direct Message customers or the general public following them. They seek to build conversations instead.
- Companies who publicly acknowledge mistakes when confronted on Twitter earn even more trust when an apology is offered and work is quickly initiated to solve customer problems or complaints. Twitter is all about being authentic, honest and worthy of trust. Earning customers’ trust by admitting a mistake has helped many companies on Twitter to hold onto customers and earn new ones. These companies also take accountability for the problems their customers have and work very quickly to resolve them. In essence, these top performing companies look for opportunities to excel at solving problems and earn trust and respect as a result.
- The best companies give enough authority to those managing the Twitter accounts so they can get problems solved. It makes a tremendous difference for customers when a contact person on Twitter can solve a problem, make a commitment to get a problem solved, and follow through. The best performing companies make this commitment of having a person with the right level of authority to get work done for customers thoroughly and quickly.
Bottom line: Twitter has exceptional opportunities to nurture and grow trust with customers. The top-performing companies are capitalizing on this and realizing all social networking amplifies their intentions to serve customers. It is a very powerful channel for connecting and serving customers and attaining loyalty as a result.
 |
