The other day, I was on a customer support call and, when it was over, the representative practically insisted that I tell her some way in which she could have been more helpful. This was clearly something she was required to ask, so I told her that she was just great, couldn’t have been better. And while It was true, she did fine, it left me very much aware of how scripted our interactions with large companies tend to be.
Charles Green writes in his Trust Matters Blog that many companies have shot themselves in the foot with “loyalty” programs, by depersonalizing their members, weakening the relationships with their customers in the process. “Dare to be real”, is his suggestion.
The irony is: at a time when every loyalty program looks alike, when ‘personal’ service is mechanized, and when everyone is a VIP—that’s the very time at which truly personal, one-to-one relationships really stand out. They are even more differentiable than ever, because most companies have forgotten what that really means.
I believe that many companies are missing an opportunity to be real in their social media interactions. Social media excels in building relationships and relationships are strengthened by a consistent willingness to understand and help. This message must be either implicit or explicit in all social media interactions, in order to achieve the holy grail of positive word of mouth and referrals. While some of this may seem counter-intuitive to traditional marketers, the following techniques are inherently helpful:
- Talk about other people or things more than you talk about your own company or products. A lot more.
- Respond to specific concerns (or complaints) openly and publicly, before following up offline.
- Vehemently eschew obfuscation. Speak like a real person.
- Link to your sources.
- Always give credit and thanks where it is due.
- Actively listen to your community. Respond whenever possible.
In our busy lives, it’s tempting to create automated processes whenever possible. This is an excellent strategy for many tasks but it works poorly with people. Always resist the urge to script personal service.
