Connect with Customers Through Technology and Good Old-Fashioned Service

Today’s technology is amazing. Great customer service is also amazing. And a combination of the two, well… it can create very happy customers. 

I recently traveled to Singapore and stayed at a hotel that was as technologically advanced as any I’d ever experienced. There was a self-service check-in to avoid waiting in line. I simply had to hold the key near the door to my room, and it unlocked. There were high-speed elevators, clocks that wirelessly connected to your smartphone and more. But all of that technology used to enhance my customer experience would have meant nothing if the hotel employees weren’t friendly and engaging (which they were).

Most any business today can take advantage of technology to enhance the customer’s experience; however, even the best technological system can’t replace good old-fashioned customer service. Computer systems and programs can provide ease, simplicity, and speed, but when they fail, you better need to have a backup in place in the form of human support. What’s more, everything has to work together. The real question is, how is technology changing the way your customer does business with you? Connecting with today’s customer takes both technology and the human factor.

Where can you find such a combination of technology and human interaction? Social media. It’s powerful. It’s where your customers are, and where you can engage with them, build stronger relationships and increase loyalty. 

Three important points to remember:

1. Monitor social channels – Your customers will broadcast their experiences, good and bad, to the world using social media channels. Don’t fight it. Embrace it. Monitor social channels for customer comments.

2. Respond quickly – This is true for all comments, but especially for negative statements or complaints. Response time is a key to successful resolution. However, Socialbakers, a social media analytics company, shared an unfortunate statistic: the average wait time on social media is nine hours. That’s not good enough. Great companies respond in minutes. 

3. Finish strong – Engage with the customer on the channel where he or she originally posted, taking the conversation private if necessary. But even then, return to the social site when the problem is resolved to thank the customer for the opportunity to make things right. A positive outcome to a negative situation would ideally end with the customer broadcasting a complementary statement that generates positive PR.

I had the privilege of working with Hy-Vee, a grocery store chain in the Midwest. It’s an amazing, customer-focused operation. One of Hy-Vee’s executive vice presidents shared a story that is an excellent example of how any company can use social media to take care of the customer.

A customer in the checkout line tweeted: Whenever I go to Hy-Vee’s Chinese Express Department, they are always out of what I want. Mad! 

An employee in Hy-Vee’s Listening Room, where employees monitor customer comments on social media, immediately tweeted back to the customer to step out of line and wait in Aisle One. Within moments the manager found the customer and was able to get him what he wanted.

    

The story ended on a positive note when the customer tweeted that he loves Hy-Vee and how they took great care of him.

By following the basics of social media customer service you, too, can resolve issues and turn potentially negative PR into something positive. Where are your customers? They are on their phones, their tablets, their computers – meet them there and use technology to engage with them and build strong relationships that last.

 

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken