It never fails, simply cruise across Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any number of other social media networks and you will easily find prime examples of how social media driven customer service works. The trouble is that many of these examples will prove out to be a negative for the companies that are coming into question. Without fail, a customer will get hot about some product or service and will take to their favorite social media outlet to let their dissatisfaction be known. What could be the perfect venue for correcting an oversite or mistake can quickly turn into a learning experience for the company that isn’t ready for such a circumstance.
So, how can companies prepare for times such as these? The very first thing they must do is to ACCEPT the fact that social media is here and is used by an untold number of people around the world. The second thing is that they must UNDERSTAND that one small incident can quickly go viral making them one of the most maligned companies in the world if left unresolved. The third thing they should do is to BELIEVE that they can, with the right training and planning, put a halt to these issues before the social media community runs with them.
Any business that runs ANY chance of having dissatisfied clients post rants online should create and implement a social media action plan that covers what company employees should do to help rectify customer service issues that end up making their way on line. This plan should include a step covering contacting the individual in question. It should also include a roadmap laying out how it is that the very public conversation should be handled.
At the end of the day, handling customer service issues through social media can be quite the boon if handled properly. Make sure that your employees know exactly what you expect to happen in the event that they run into such a situation. Also, let your customers or clients know that you are more than happy to have a public dialogue. Keeping things as transparent as possible will help you to look more trustworthy and willing to work with the client to resolve whatever issues may arise.