By Dougal Smith | MobileFoodNews.com
Are you listening to your customers? This is a straight forward question. It is easy to assume that most businesses would answer yes. They might even say that they think it is important to listen to their customers. As we move into a new year I believe the question now is not “Are you listening?” but “Where are you listening”.
For as long as I can remember I have listened to complaints and compliments on the phone. Over the last decade or so email has become a popular way to communicate opinions. In the last couple of years though, things have changed dramatically. With social media we can see complaints and compliments go viral. A great example of this is seen in the youtube smash hit “United Breaks Guitars” that generated millions of hits and forced United Airlines to do something after refusing to do so.
AT&T network managers monitor Twitter for “AT&T”, “3G” and “iphone” for complaints as away to improve customer service. Steve Moser, network visitor program manager for AT&T says “People do not call anymore to complain so we have to use social media tools.”
Whether a small business or a global giant, customer service depends on understanding what your customers are saying. As you collect more data about your customers at the point of sale and connect that to social media the marketing potential is huge. Often overlooked however, is listening to social media. There are a number of tools that can assist you in this area. Great thing is most are free. I, myself monitor Twitter using Tweetdeck. Doing this allows me through searches to see if anyone is talking about me or my clients.
Our world has become a very noisy place. Taking advantage of tools that can filter the noise will help you build your business from the POS out. Listen carefully!
