Online Customer Service Is Essential To Successful Social ...

?continued from Monday

Darika Ahrens? Blog | Forrester.com

The organizational structure isn?t going to change overnight and if social is still new to your business it?s unlikely you?re going to know how you want the two areas to work together yet, but here?s what you should be doing as a minimum:

• Shared planning between customer service and social. While traditionally separate functions of the business, customer service and social marketing need to sit down and map out where customer touchpoints cross over, what the brand?s goals are in delivering exceptional customer experiences, and how each of those departments plans to achieve this. It?s better to iron out different views during the planning process than during a live customer service issue kicking off online.
• Cross-role education. Each role needs to educate the other on the issues and processes specific to their role with customers. For example, there will always be problem customers who are difficult, can?t be ?helped? or simply trying to work the system; customer service needs to explain what response a customer can reasonably expect from the brand before the social team gets trapped offering nonstandard support via social channels. Social also needs to educate on the uniqueness of their medium, for example speed, brevity, and the correct tone all impact how they respond.
• Sharing intelligence between customer service and social. It?s likely that each part of the business will have made an investment in intelligence whether that?s software products or customer survey data. Review systems, deciding which intelligence may be essential customer insight, and what are current or new ways to share that intelligence quickly and effectively. (Many social platforms have evolved to incorporate workflow and customer response functions like Radian 6, Lithium Technologies, and Conversocial).

We live in an age where companies must become customer obsessed to survive. This means breaking down silos (particularly in the digital space) and sharing intelligence, but also creating truly delightful customer experiences ? like the cat on the router story ? to drive customers to use social technologies positively on behalf of the brand.

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