Are you using Social Media for Customer Relationships

If you’re not, you probably should be.  When your customers mention you in Twitter, on Facebook, or in any other social media, they are giving you feedback — good or bad — and it’s your chance to interact with them.

Don’t let these opportunities go by.  And don’t let social media only be the domain of the marketing staff.  Because social media are not just for distributing promotion codes or advertising messages.  Social media are for venting.  For praising.  For bashing.  For ….

Social media are your chance to demonstrate you are listening, paying attention, and willing to do something.

New tools are coming out regularly … they are very affordable for most companies.  You should monitor the social media with the same discipline and focus as you give your phone calls and emails.  Well, maybe more focus, because a lot of companies try to avoid answering the phone and take forever to answer emails!

Filed under: Ideas, Opinion, advertising, crm, Customer Care, Direct Commerce, email, Phone, social media

Customers Prefer Easy to Exceptional

Customers Prefer Easy to Exceptional – this link takes you to the full article in Multichannel Merchant.

It’s an excellent premise.  And the premise of the article — that customers prefer easy resolution to exceptional customer service — is consistent with the fundamental idea that direct commerce is about convenience.

So, Merchants, make it convenient (read that as “easy”) to buy things from you and easy to resolve any problem that might arise.

Filed under: News, Opinion, convenience, Customer Care, Direct Commerce, multichannel merchant