In my last Blog, “Tweets: Customer Service and the New “To Whom It May Concern”? Part 1″, I shared a recent post by Jeff Lerner about his Twitter experience. As my family is made up of multiple generations, I thought it would be interesting to hear the opinions of different age groups.
The result of my study…the members of my family, both younger and older, agreed that Twitter is a great way for a customer to be heard and an even better way for a business to retain a customer. The younger generation thought it was humorous that a company would even see the Twitter posts. Those over 65 reminisced about writing letters addressed to “To Whom It May Concern”. Then, thinking about Jeff Lerner’s story, it clicked for all of us. Twitter is the new, faster way to send a “To Whom It May Concern” letter, and at the same time Twitter has become a customer service solution for many businesses across the nation.
As an elder care marketing company in Chicago, we have seen a huge increase in the number of businesses developing a presence in social media. Companies are making major efforts to increase their user base and are marketing to customers in a new way. However, many businesses have not caught on to the opportunity of using social media as a customer service tool. This survey by Market Tools paints a dismal picture. Only 12 percent of businesses are taking advantage of Twitter for customer service (slightly more use Facebook at 23 percent).
Social media can be the perfect way to develop a true relationship with customers. If customers are spending their money and taking the time to shop at a business, they want to be appreciated. Businesses are missing out on the opportunity to make a new connection with consumers. This means potentially losing out on the possibility of huge customer retention and increases in customer loyalty. Do you plan to follow Dunkin’ Donuts example and implement a customer service campaign using social media?
Marla Levie, BSW, MA, President and Founder of Focus on Aging, has successfully been providing marketing consulting, social media and recruiting services to the elder care market and to other service-related professions in the Chicago area for over 20 years. Use the contact tab to email Marla for additional information about her services.
