Turn Your Social Customers Into Brand Ambassadors
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View more about my work at http://Huonks.com. Social media channels have transformed customer service forever. No longer are consumers willing to be put on hold, wait for the next available representative or press 1 for… Today’s “I want it now” customers expect instant responses from their favorite brands. Instead of shying away from social media, businesses must leverage their social channels to spread a positive brand reputation, to connect happy customers, and to step up their customer support efforts.Happy customers who get their issues resolved tell an average of four to six people about their positive experiences, according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. It pays to treat your customers well, not only for the repeat business, but also to gain the positive word-of-mouth consumers who broadcast across social media. Satisfied customers can become your most influential brand ambassadors. They’ll help to answer customer service questions posted online and also tout their own positive experiences with your business.
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Turn Your Social Customers Into Brand Ambassadors
- 2. TURN YOUR SOCIAL CUSTOMERS INTO BRAND AMBASSADORS
- 3. BRIAN HUONKER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UNIVERSIT Y MARKETING ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSIT Y HUONKS.COM FACEBOOK.COM /BKHUONKER T WITTER.COM /BKHUONKER LINKEDIN .COM /IN/ BKHUONKER
- 4. 50 FACTS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 96% of unhappy 70% of buying customers don’t experiences are based complain, however 91% on how the customer of those will simply feels they are being leave and never come treated back 55% of customers A dissatisfied customer would pay extra to will tell between 9-15 guarantee a better people about their service experience. Around 80% of customers 13% of dissatisfied prefer to speak with a customers tell more representative at the than 20 people. weekends
- 5. 50 FACTS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience – “Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell -Legner
- 6. “I WANT IT NOW”
- 7. “SMART BUSINESS” L ev e r a g e s o c i a l c h a n n e l s to spread positive brand messages
- 8. “SMART BUSINESS” Happy customers who get their issues resolved tell an average of four to six people about their positive experiences Word of mouth testimonials broadcasted across social media channels
- 10. STEP 1: BE FAST 25% of social media users expect a response within one hour 6% expect a response within 10 minutes
- 11. STEP 1: BE FAST
- 12. STEP 1: BE FAST
- 13. STEP 2: BE VISIBLE Transparent Visible Join the conversation to better understand your consumer
- 14. STEP 2: BE VISIBLE
- 15. STEP 2: BE VISIBLE
- 16. STEP 3: BE CONSISTENT Customer support answers remain consistent across the web and across all social channels Conflicting answers create confused, unhappy customers Brand accuracy drives confidence and credibility
- 17. STEP 3: BE CONSISTENT
- 18. STEP 5: BE HUMAN
- 19. STEP 4: BE ORGANIZED Customers can spot disorganization a mile away, especially online Each team member must know where to seek reliable answers
- 20. STEP 4: BE ORGANIZED
- 21. STEP 4: BE ORGANIZED
- 22. STEP 5: BE HUMAN Keep the human element Social networks have taken the formalities out of conversations Encourage conversations
- 23. STEP 5: BE HUMAN
- 24. STEP 5: BE HUMAN
- 25. STEP 5: BE HUMAN
- 26. 6. BE VOCAL Suggest to friends Get Fans to Tag Photos Integrate comments on your website Run a Contest Use the Share Button Use the @ Tag Autograph Posts on Other Walls
- 27. 6. BE VOCAL
- 28. WHY DO WE DO THIS?
- 29. WHY DO WE DO THIS?
- 30. 78% OF CONSUMERS TRUST PEER RECOMMENDATIONS Only 14 % trust advertisements 18% of traditional T V campaigns generate a positive ROI Facebook added over 200 million users in less than a year Could be the third largest country, behind China and India 60 million status updates on Facebook daily Fastest growing segment, 55-65 year old females Ashton Kutcher and Britney spear have more Twitter followers than the populations of countries like Ireland, Switzerland, Israel and now even Australia.
- 31. TURN YOUR SOCIAL CUSTOMERS INTO BRAND AMBASSADORS
Editor's Notes
- Facts about customer experiences and referrals96% of unhappy customers don’t complain, however 91% of those will simply leave and never come back – 1st Financial Training servicesA dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people. – White House Office of Consumer AffairsHappy customers who get their issue resolved tell about 4-6 people about their experience. – White House Office of Consumer AffairsHappy customers who get their issue resolved tell about 4-6 people about their experience. – White House Office of Consumer Affairs70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated – McKinsey55% of customers would pay extra to guarantee a better service – Defaqto researchPrice is not the main reason for customer churn, it is actually due to the overall poor quality of customer service – Accenture global customer satisfaction report 200894% of customers do not want to be transferred to another representative more than once – Mobius Poll 200280% of customers prefer to speak with a representative at the weekends – Mobius Poll 200284% of customers are frustrated when a representative does not have immediate access to account information – Mobius Poll 2002Customer who rate you 5 on a scale from 1 to 5 are six times more likely to buy from you again, as to if they ‘only’ gave you a score of 4.8. – TeleFaction data researchIt takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience – “Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-LegnerFacts about customer retention and churn factsA 5% reduction in the customer defection rate can increase profits by 5 – 95% – Bain & CompanyA 50% reduction in customer base would occur if left alone over a 5 year period – Bain & CompanyIt costs 6 – 7 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one – Bain & CompanyAn average company loses between 10 – 30% of its customers annually – McKinseyA customer is 4 times more likely to defect to a competitor if the problem is service related than price or product related – Bain & Company68% of customers leave because they were upset with the treatment they received whilst speaking to customer services – US Chamber of CommerceDissatisfied customers whose complaints are taken care of are more likely to remain loyal, and even become advocates, as those that are ‘just’ customers – Strauss & SeidelThe probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 – 70%. The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20% – Marketing MetricsFor every customer complaint, there are 26 other unhappy customers who have remained silent – Lee Resource96% of unhappy customers don’t complain, however 91% of those will simply leave and never come back – 1st Financial Training servicesA 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 10% – Leading on the Edge of Chaos, Emmet Murphy & Mark MurphyCustomer profitability tends to increase over the life of a retained customer – Leading on the Edge of Chaos, Emmet Murphy & Mark MurphyIn the US alone, people that switch from insurance providers represent a $7.6 billion market in annual premiums – JD Power & AssociatesFacts about customer service and contact / call centersA good customer service strategy should balance costs, quality and revenues. Companies that restructure call centers in this way can often cut their costs by up to 35% and boost the revenue they generate by as much as 35%, thereby transforming them into strategic assets providing a competitive advantage – McKinseyResearch shows that a 10% increase in customer retention levels result in a 30% increase in the value of the company – Bain & Co.76% of companies motivate employees to treat customers fairly, and 62% provide effective tools and training to gain trust with their customers – Peppers and Rogers Group, 2009 Customer Experience Maturity Monitor70% of customer experience management best in class adopters use customer feedback to make strategic decision. 50% of industry-average organizations and 29% of laggards do. – Aberdeen Group81% of companies with strong capabilities and competencies for delivering customer experience excellence are outperforming their competitors – Peppers and Rogers, 2009 Customer Experience Maturity Monitor72% of all customers believe it takes too long to reach a live agent – Harris69% said they were on hold for too long – Harris50% of the people survey said that agents failed to answer their questions – Harris44% said the information they received was not accurate- Harris92% of all interactions happen via the phone – Gartner85% of consumers are dissatisfied with their phone experience – GartnerEven in a negative economy, customer experience is a high priority for consumers, with 60% often or always paying more for a better experience. – Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact ReportEmployee factsThe average recruitment cost of filling a vacancy is £4333, increasing to £7750 when organizations are also calculating the associated labour turnover costs – The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Annual SurveyEmployee churn in the private sector is 22.6% – The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Annual SurveyAn average of £1202 is spent on employee training – The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Annual SurveyFacts about customer strategy90% of North American firms view customer experience as important or critical to 2010 plans. 80% of firms would like to use customer experience as a form of differentiation. – Forrester’s: The State of Customer Experience 2010.85% of business leaders agree that traditional differentiators alone are no longer a sustainable business strategy – Shaw & Ivens71% of business leaders believe that customer experience is the next corporate battleground – Shaw & IvenseCommerce spending for new customers is on average $24.50, compared to $52.50 for repeat customers – McKinseyReducing time and money on explaining business procedures and costs with new customers will save overall – Marketing Management; Spiro, Rich, Stanton 200873% of marketing managers of various large companies credit “Repeat purchase behavior” as integral to the definition of successful customer engagement –Forbes MagazineA survey asking which is the most important marketing objectives, shows that 29.9% think that it should be customer acquisition, and 26.6% think that it is customer retention. However 62.2% admit that they concentrate on customer acquisition, with only 20.6% focusing on customer acquisition. –Emarketer55% of current marketing spend is on new customer acquisition – McKinsey33% of current marketing spend is on brand awareness – McKinseyOnly 12% of current marketing spend is on customer retention – McKinsey
- Combined with this generation’s “I want it now” mentality you have a shift in customer service. Consumers are no longer willing to sit and listen to classical music on hold. In today’s age of hyper-responsiveness, customers expect instant responses from support reps on very public online platforms.
- Instead of shying away from social media, smart businesses will leverage their social channels to spread a positive brand reputation, to connect happy customers and to step up their customer support efforts.
- Happy customers who get their issues resolved tell an average of four to six people about their positive experiences, according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. It pays to treat your customers well, not only for the repeat business, but also to gain the positive word-of-mouth consumers now broadcast across social media. Satisfied customers can become your most influential brand ambassadors. They’ll help to answer customer service questions posted online and also tout their own positive experiences with your business.
- When a customer turns to social media for a support issue, he expects a brand to generate the fastest response possible. According to a recent UK study, 25% of social media users expect a response within one hour, and 6% expect a response within 10 minutes. If you allow a support issue to dangle for too long, you risk being perceived as a company that either doesn’t know the answer or doesn’t care enough to reply promptly.Remember, most people on social networks aren’t itching to post negative comments. They only do so after a bad experience. Therefore, don’t give them enough time to have a bad experience.
- Private and direct messaging on Facebook and Twitter is all well and good, but when it comes to customer service, it’s best to be totally transparent and visible. The answer you give to one customer could, in turn, help thousands more. Think of each post and interaction as a resource that future customers can reference. Not to mention, customers will be more apt to direct friends to your page with their own questions.Social media sites foster an online community around your brand. Watch how customers discuss and respond to your products so you can join the conversation and better understand the community that supports your brand.
- It’s vital that you ensure all customer support answers remain consistent across the web and across all social channels. If a common question is posted on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, then each response should communicate the same solution. Conflicting answers create confused, unhappy customers. Just as people expect consistent experiences with your products, they also expect consistent service across all of your channels. Brand accuracy drives confidence and credibility, and helps build brand loyalty among your customers.
- If consistency creates brand ambassadors, then being organized is equally paramount. Admittedly, the cross-company integration and management of social media continues to be challenging. Maintaining a successful social media presence on just one network is a full-time job. Trying to do it over multiple networks is impossible if your support staff isn’t properly organized.Customers can spot disorganization a mile away, especially online. However, if you demonstrate that your company support knows what it’s doing, you’ll earn the respect and trust of brand loyalists. Organization goes beyond knowing who does what on the support team; it’s also vital that everyone on the team is on the same page. Each team member must know where to seek reliable answers, and each must source information from the same place.
- As cool as Siri is, she still hasn’t crossed from digital assistant to human entity. Until then, your social media customer support should remain as human as possible. On the bright side, social networks already take the formalities out of conversation. It’s one of their biggest draws.Therefore, a customer’s name isn’t “Inquiry #83kd4z.” She’s Christie from Denver. People respond best when they feel like they’re talking to other people. Your customer support should make customers feel as if they’re posting a normal question on a friend’s wall. Creating that kind of relationship with your customer should be the priority of any company.Using customer service to create brand ambassadors isn’t the Herculean task it once was. Social media is presenting countless opportunities to turn your company’s support system into an open, interactive community, where customers can share their positive experiences with one another and spread the good word about your products and services – all on your behalf.