How can social media be used to improve customer care?

Customer care is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. According to Turban et al, (Turban, 2006) particularly, it also refers to systems in the business place that will maximise customers’ satisfaction with a firm’s business. Customer care is vital to any business, because if customers are satisfied and happy, profits and sales figures will increase. (KETLER Presentations, 1987) Customers play an essential role for business in one company. Many business positions will be applied. For example employees such as the receptionist, sales people, and other employees interacting with customers directly on a daily basis; but the development of social media it has promoted the improvement of customer care. (KETLER Presentations, 1987)

What is called social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks, (Ahlqvist, 2008), like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Social media can create a highly interactive phenomenon for customers to share the new products information, discuss and comment on them. It is recorded that about 77 percent of B2C companies and 43 percent of B2B companies solicited customers from Facebook. (Jorgensen, 2012) It is a good way to improve the customer care. In this report, briefly, I will introduce the consequences of how social media be used to improve customer care and this consequence as the reason to affect the organisations improve their advertising and market strategies. There are some factors which contribute to excellent customer care.

Great communication between customers and company’s staff is the first element to improve customer care. Compared to traditional communication, social media is the best tool to put all customers’ views together. There is no barrier between different groups. Social media users aim to interact with brands through Facebook, which is 80%. (Jorgensen, 2012) In the past, the channels for solving most customers’ issues were face-to-face, telephone or e-mail. They are less effective for operating business because customers need to make an appointment in advance. If some customers miss the appropriate time, they would know little information about the product or even their problems cannot be solved immediately.

However, on social media platform, customers can communicate with other customers or managers directly, some issues will be solved in short time, before asking or calling servicers. For example, on the Facebook website, there are many company webpages for users, like Tip Top Company in New Zealand, as shown the following screenshot from facebook.com. On this webpage, all recent posts will be established by the company’s staff. Customers can search the news online by themselves not asking receptors. Not only increase the effectiveness of the company, but also can improve the customer care.

Figure1. Screenshot from Facebook

For most companies, the customers’ satisfaction is essential. It refers to customers’ credibility. When customers meeting sale people, customers may not be trusted them because of their core purpose which is selling product. But when other customers comment on this product online and share its interlinking for users, they will believe that. So that is why social media can be accepted for most people. This function for improving customer care can be shown.

Due to the cross-channel relationship between social media, they can be linked to each other, for instance, Face book published 42 million “Pages” with more than 10 likes. (Bullas) Thus Facebook fans will be recommended to Twitter users, Twitter users to comment on a LinkedIn page. No matter where information comes from, it always be spread by these social media which have links. (Jorgensen, 2012) Customers will experience this service from different pages in time.

Meanwhile, with development of social media, most people prefer to search product information online. The problem is how many account usernames should we used. As we all know, one account username response to one user. While on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter, customers only need to log in one account, and then they have opportunities to enter another website validly. It is convenient for customers.

Finally, social media is so popular that most people would like spend much time on that.so another reason why social media can improve customer care is podsolization service, such as users use a picture of face, instead of logo, for profile picture. It personalizes customers’ experience. It’s one simple step that can immediately make customers feel more approachable and human. (Widrich, 2012)

Due to these factors which are beneficial for improving customers care by social media, customer care is so essential for company’s business at the same time, hence the problem is how to advertise on social media become significant for enterprises. In my opinion, there are some approaches can attract more customers’ attention. According to investigating the customers’ level of interests, putting the relative product information on the most obvious position of the webpage is a good method for improving advertisement effect. For example, as illustrated the following picture from YouTube, this organization will put relative advertisement on the one-side. Then this approach will increase more chance for company gain more attentions.

An effective advertisement result cannot invest much money on that, the very important point is personalization, each company should has creativity idea distinguish from traditional advertisement style. For example, Scan Digital
Company, their advertisement strategy is that if customers want to join in the club for sharing pictures. They need to interact with company by Facebook. Photo difference game will be used, the rules as following, first 5 people to find a difference between these photos and post it as a comment under the image, each win a 15% off Scan Digital coupon.
Apparently, customers prefer to accept some social media which have higher credibility. Thus putting advertisement on the website like this should be useful and desirable.

Talking about the social media marketing strategy, the first and unique purpose is improving customer care. Customer plays a significant role in social media marketing, so customers’ participation for design of product can bring more beneficial for organization. The company has responsibility to build the professional group for interacting with customers. It will make customers feel their importance for company, the famous example from Vitamin Water; Vitamin Water wants to establish their new product in 2009 summer, and customers would get chance to join in this activity which everyone can provide new and creativity idea on the brand’s name and packaging. According to the official statistics, almost 10,000 people took part in this activity. Finally, when this product was sold, there are around 10,000 potential customers. (Eldon, 2009) It is a desirable strategy.

On the other hand, the organization must provide consistent, authentic, and meaningful information to make sure more users will share and forward them for their friends, a Facebook users has 130 friends averagely. (Kane, 2012) That is why organization is worthy to offer reliable information. And this is also a big benefit for company. Meanwhile, designing an interesting webpage is also necessary, as a result of attracting customers’ eyesight. According to my experience, I prefer to choose some beautiful webpage and spend much time on that.

In a conclusion, social media provide more possibilities for customers, which are interacting with organization directly and timely. Changing the traditional communication style is obvious revolution between organization and customers. Moreover, multichannel is the basic characteristic of social media which can improve the convenience for users. Meanwhile, each user has opportunity to get recent new information by their friends, even they are not online. Obviously, the advantage of social media promotes some organizations create beneficial strategies on advertisement and development of marketing, such as designing beautiful webpage, matching different type of advertisement to different users, and come up with special market proposal for reputation. Thus customer’s engagement would be considered for organization. This result will enhance the loyalty of customers. A creativity advertisement idea and professional teamwork’s operation become essential.

References:

Ahlqvist, T. (2008). Social media roadmaps: exploring the futures triggered by social media. VTT. Bullas, J. (n.d.). 20 Interesting Facts, Figures and Statistics Revealed by Facebook. Retrieved from jeffbulla: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/30/20-interesting-facts-figures-and-statistics-revealed-by-facebook/?_inv_out=10013&_inv_cp=10424913 Eldon, E. (2009, September 8). Vitaminwater to Crowdsource New Flavor Through Facebook App. Retrieved from insidefacebook: http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/09/08/vitaminwater-to-crowdsource-new-flavor-through-facebook-app/ Honigman, B. (2012, 11 29). 100 Fascinating Social Media Statistics and Figures From 2012 . Retrieved from huffington post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-honigman/100-fascinating-social-me_b_2185281.html Jorgensen, K. (2012, September 24). Facebook Marketing Statistics You Need To Know. Retrieved from business2community: http://www.business2community.com/facebook/facebook-marketing-statistics-you-need-to-know-0289953 Kane, B. (2012, March 5). Twitter Stats in 2012 [Infographic]. Retrieved from webanalyticsworld: http://www.webanalyticsworld.net/2012/03/twitter-stats-in-2012-infographic.html KETLER Presentations. (1987). What is customer care? Retrieved from KETLER Presentations: http://www.ketler.co.za/customer_care.aspx Turban, E. (2006).