Oct 7, 2009 7:01 pm US/Eastern
Social Networking Useful In Customer Service Spats
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, are not just for teens anymore. For anyone who's ever felt like a number when it comes to a customer service issue, social network platforms are increasingly becoming a powerful way to broadcast bad business.
We've all been there – trying to fix a problem and getting nowhere. One Newark resident finally vented his frustration over an outrageous water bill increase right into the Twitter universe, where thousands of other voters could see. That got Mayor Cory Booker's quick attention.
"Their water bill increased significantly, while their tenants in their building have gone down, so I've already given it to my staffer. She's now investigating it to see what's causing it," he says.
New to the Tweet-o-sphere, Booker says over these past five months he's spotted crime trends and given a voice to the otherwise unheard.
"It gives me a lot of information at once," Booker says. "[I can] see trends and see ideas. So for me it's made my ability to serve the residents of Newark a lot stronger."
Whole Foods is just one corporate giant using tweets to stay on top of customer's compliments...and complaints. The grocery chain appoints a staffer at each of its stores to stay tight with shoppers as well as to lure more of them in through special promotions and contests.
"When they see it and people following them see it and people following us see it, it's a really wonderful way to reiterate our customer service policies here," says Rebecaa Ulanoff of Whole Foods."Customers get frustrated if they're put on hold or if they don't get a response and we're able to get back to them right away."
The Whole Foods model: answer every Tweet that needs action in 24 hours.
The Whole Foods in Manhattan have 40,000 people a week come through the store. A tenth of that number actually follow them on Twitter, but they say they get the best bang for the buck when it comes to customer service.
And while solving problems in 24 hours is good business, customers have the satisfaction of knowing they now have a loud voice to broadcast bad business practices.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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