Week 3: Communication-Business and Consumer(Part 1)

I think one of the worst companies to deal with, for me, regarding customer service is Walmart.  I have had many issues with them, to the point I stopped even shopping there. Communicating in person, and over the phone, has been a hassle several times for me. In one event, I had an issue with receiving a product I had ordered online  (digital camera) and the amount of hurdles I had to go through with them was horrible. After all this, I only got told the item was now out of stock. I really think an extremely important part of customer service is, at least, being respectful of the customer. I have dealt with several rude employees here as well and it always seems to be hard to be able to communicate with whom I need to to get things resolved, in a timely manner.

I believe social media is a great tool for connecting people to companies. I have often used social media to grab the attention of a company and resolve issues. I notice that lot of times people make negative comments towards companies on sites like Facebook and Instagram. This is, in my opinion, a smart tactic to yield a higher response rate. One reason behind this is that, obviously, companies do not want other customers to see negative reviews. In turn, companies are more likely to resolve issues in a quick manner.

One very positive experience I had, using social media, was with a hair salon  I contacted, in Escondido. I, unfortunately do not remember the name but it was a very smooth and helpful exchange.  I was looking to get extensions done in my hair and had no idea about the subject. I contacted the salon and received a response within the first 15 minutes. This is notable because I had contacted several other salons beforehand, by telephone, and some did not even respond. The woman I messaged, over Facebook, gave me a clear and concise definition of each method they offered. She then asked if I would be interested in doing an initial consultation over Skype. Oh, the convenience of technology. All in all the experience was very easy and, i feel that the use of social media helped in that situation. I am usually very busy so, it is the little things that make life easier and I think social media serves as a great tool for that.

If I had a business social media account I would, first and foremost, be sure to yield a high response rate and make sure that the account is very active. This would ensure that customers would have a convenient way to stay connected with us. I would make sure to address any and all comments as often as possible. I would reach out directly to see what can be done to better the customers negative experience. I would also make sure to thank customers for their positive comments as I feel showing appreciation is a two way street. As a business you want to make the customer, always, feel appreciated. Social media is a good place to show your followers the kind of ethics you have, and making sure you display a good representation to your followers is a good way to score more business opportunities.