Posted By
Courtney Nelson on 08/13/2010
We all
want our friends to be “real people.” That’s important because we want
friends to be both honest about who they are and in their communications with
us. Don’t you want the same thing from a company?
Look at
Twitter today, and you will find dozens of handles that are “SallyatDell” or
“ComcastFrank” that are used by “real
people” who represent the company. We know that the handle is a
person and that they respond in a conversational fashion rather than like an
automated message.
I
certainly don’t want to talk to a computer. I hate phone trees and being on
hold only to get another automated message that asks for more information. I
just want to talk to a real person.
We all
want a person to be there when we have a problem. I know that we can’t all be Kevin Smith and get a direct response from Southwest Airlines,
but after seeing that story, I believe that Southwest will listen to me when I
have a problem. The day I heard the story about Southwest’s response to Kevin
Smith being kicked off one of their flights, became an earned customer of
Southwest. I have been living in fear that I would be kicked off a plane
because of my size since the rule came into effect. However, I didn’t know what
to do. After seeing the story, I know that Kevin Smith’s tweeting that he was
“too fat to fly” caused Southwest to pay attention. They realized the hard way
that it only takes one person on social media to damage your reputation.
I wasn’t
impressed by the airline because of any amazing advertisements, beautiful
stewards and pilots, or great on-flight meals. I was sold because of one story
about a very well-handled customer service experience brought about by social media.
The agent was a person and was honest in trying to help Mr. Smith find a new
flight. I am not the only one inspired by this story, even
if some of it is negative.
Think
about what happens every time a customer service agent uses social media to
help someone who is having a bad experience. The public can listen in because
it isn’t always private, and sometimes the customer will even tell people about
the great help they received. In this day, with trust in short supply, that is
as important as a celebrity endorsement. Even if the celebrity is unhappy, you
have people like me who will respect the efforts taken by the customer service
agent.
You also
need to remember to be honest in both success and crisis. We know that we want
people to be honest when they are sad and angry. Companies generally get decent
marks in this area because public relations departments have been using the
mainstream media to handle crises for years. Now, to be real, you must also
remember not to be too formal and rigid when you win an award or create
something cool.
Think of
how you want your company to be seen as a person. Draw a picture of how you see
them. Think of the music he/she would like and what groups they would hang out
with. This is where your customer is right now. They probably listen to that
type of music and like those pants you’re wearing. You need to be honest no
matter whether it’s a professional look or a punk-rock look. Just be you, and
your real customers will know you aren’t selling out on them.
Tags: Online brand development, social networks
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