We've now entered an age where companies are becoming increasingly answerable to the public. Do something good and a couple of people may tweet/post about it and if you're lucky; do something bad and well, then you better brace yourself. A research study showed that 45% share bad customer service experiences and 30% share good customer service experiences via social media. (http://bit.ly/1l3JWYH)
It therefore follows
that absence/inadequacy with regard to Social Media is tantamount to Virtual Suicide.
What's more, just having a Facebook page or Twitter handle isn't nearly enough.
It needs to be loaded with the right amount and type of content, engaging enough
for your TG and most importantly, responsive to their every query/compliment/
outburst. People love feeling important and well, Customer is King right.
Now, one would assume
that big companies would understand these simple facts.. but then again we assume
far too many things. Since I'm a B-Schooler it's only fitting that I use a real
life example to explain my point.
Okay so let's take the
case of Ferns & Petals: synonymous with bouquets, happy times, occasions,
memories and the like. Their page on Facebook has 104,714 likes
as on today (you shall soon see the irony in their being called 'likes') and at
a cursory, make that very cursory, glance looks pretty good, with the usual
posts about how perfect and lovely their products are (or claim to be). Take a
closer look and you see their wall posts.. and let's just say they don't
exactly qualify as sweet nothings.
Each post is nastier
than the other, with profanity being showered incessantly. (they do have over 5700 people 'talking' about them, we'll give them that) Whether it's an
upset daughter whose Mother's Day flowers never got delivered or an enraged
friend whose recipient got the wrong bouquet a day or two late, these customers
have not had not-so-happy-endings, to say the least. What's worse is that
they now seem to have gotten into the habit of removing people's posts! If only
life were that simple; press the delete button and all your problems (read:
people) evaporate! (How much happier I'd be if that were an option..)
To the posts they don't
delete, they give their usual apologetic reply and promise to 'look into the
matter', a phrase whose meaning escapes me entirely. My deduction is that A.
FnP’s page is run by a bunch of Sadistic Sociopaths or B. they’ve hired an
insanely competent bunch of people who’ve perfected the art of how not-to-use
social media.
I am no authority on
anything but I’d still like to offer some advice to this lovely company:
No matter what, you
cannot delete what your customers have to say!
I mean, seriously? Who does that? Ferns and
Petals needs to realize that if a customer is angry, and feels wronged on a
personal level, they will hunt you down and post with a vengeance. Deleting
their complaint is as bad, if not much worse, than ignoring it altogether. You’re
giving out the wrong signals to people.. I’d like to assume that it’s
unintentional.
Whoever you’ve hired to manage people problems, fire them.. fire them now. Your apology mails and
posts on Social media are hollow and predictable; at least make it look like
you mean it even if you don’t. Also, ever heard of a ‘Follow Up’? There are
still some people in this world who actually do what they say they will. ..Unfortunately,
you don’t seem to be one of them. As they say, actions speak louder than words.
Now, assuming that you can’t go back in time and deliver flowers, like you’d
promised, to someone on their special day; your menial sorry doesn’t really
mean anything. What we want to hear is that you will take corrective action and
remedy the situation (and hey, a free compensatory bouquet never hurt anyone)
In short, Ferns and Petals,
get a grasp on your Social Media before it tightens its noose around you. For all I know, my next post may be an epitaph in your memory!
- Disclaimer: Written by a disgruntled
and vengeance seeking customer who happens to be taking a course on Social
Media J
(yes, I’m the girl whose
Mother never got her Mother’s Day present)
Below are some exhibits relevant to the case (In true MBA fashion)
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