Social customers are already challenging companies and organizations globally especially from a customer service perspective. Those companies that create and execute new innovative strategies and tactics in the social customer era will be the winners. Laggards that don't listen to and ignore the voice of the social customers will pay the ultimate price in brand reputation, because social media is the "new word of mouth marketing platform." For additional insights into my thinking around this please check out some of my previous posts during 2009 on www.myventurepad.com, where there is a rich archive of related information and research.
Over the last year or so I have became a social customer. My smart device (IPhone) is now my lifeline and connection to the world. Last Thursday I Yelped on my IPhone during an MBA class at Boston University about the dinner I had on Craigie on Main in Boston, it wasn't nice. When I came home from my trip I Yelped about how fabulous Rothmanns steak house on Madison and 5th still is. I don't live in LinkedIn all the time, Facebook is now my personal SMPG and I have de-friended nearly all professional connections from it. I don't tweet every day, I don't think that I am that important and I met a retired person at a bar that had a better astronomy app on his IPhone than I did, imagine that?What are my characteristics?
- I am connected nearly all the time.
- I expect you to know me.
- I operate within my own ecosystem of organizations, peer groups, businesses and services.
- I use technology like a car; I put the key in and go where I want to go.
- I am active in social media peer groups that are important professionally and personally.
- I am important to your bottom line.
- I am demanding, I have high expectations and I seek the best value.
- I get nearly all my information from applications on my smart device.
- I don't go to your website unless I really have to.
- I can be any age a millennial, a digital native or retired.
As a marketing person, what do think is most important about my characteristics? How I use technology, my ecosystem and its ecology, what I expect you to know about me, and how you will interact with me in the channels of influence I participate in? And how will you deliver to me the level of customer service that I expect? You need to ask yourself one question, do you really want me as a customer? And more importantly is your company ready for the social customer? If so tell us how, if not articulate your challenges in the comments section.
Customer Service Is King in the 2009 Business Influencer StudyWe just completed the 2009 Business Influencer Study, which is a survey of more than 450 respondents that play a seminal role in purchasing software and solutions. Four years ago we conducted the same research and I will share some insights from our analysis. The big surprise was really no surprise; there was a 15 percentage point up click in the involvement of LOB professionals in purchasing software and services. Guess what, they now own the purse strings and as soon as you begin delivering on the business value promise of technology along with superior customer service the better. What is your customer service reputation?
Business Software Vendor Opinion Driven By Five Factors
- Customer service
- Pricing
- Products and services
- Technology and R&D
- Company management
- Corporate citizenship and environmental issues ranked near the bottom influencing issues.
I was somewhat surprised to see customer service come up so high again in 2009, and it even reared its ugly head in the open ended section of the survey. What this tells us is that we have failed to deliver levels of customer service that meet the expectations of most customers, in this case that purchase and use technology. What was also somewhat surprising was how low a rating CSR, and environmental issues such as global warming garnered in this research. This reflects other recent research from the PEW foundation indicating that at least Americans are more concerned about surviving, and keeping their jobs and companies than global warming. In the next post I will dive deeper into influencer channels and channels of influence that impact the social customer. In marketing we often view channels for distribution of product, sales and services, savvy marketing and sales organizations are now looking at channels of influence.
Suggested Reading:The California Management Review has an excellent article the fall 2009 edition, Customer Rage, Triggers, Tipping Points and Takeouts, by Patterson, McColl Kennedy, Smith and Lu. This article presents research that looks at the emotional side of customer rage and encompasses customers from the US, Australia, China and Thailand. Until next time I wish you great selling and marketing in the millennium.