Through the eyes of Suzy...
I'm pretty sure a good amount of people are aware of social media and its growing influence on customer relationship management. Big corporations have been utilizing social media to directly communicate with their customers and so far, it has been very effective! Whether customers make positive or negative comments on social media, companies can instantly check the message and reply efficiently, improving the relationship with the commentator. To the customer, it may be about getting a response from an actual human representative, but to the company, it is much more than that.
Interacting with customers on social media can positively impact the company in a variety of ways. The most obvious one being improved reputation and image. Social media is a virtual space in which millions of people can view and comment on big corporations. If the company does a good job in managing relationships with commentators and followers, it will create a reputation of having good customer service. Second, it can increase the engagement and exposure on the media. With more people communicating with the company, the higher the engagement rate will be for the company. And with more engagement, the more exposure it will have in terms of public relations. Now, this is where the plan can backfire. If a customer complains or negatively comments about the company and it fails to politely fix the situation, the whole problem can blow up on the media in a bad way. Screenshots of the conversation between the company and customer will go up every single social media platform and there will be no escape from it – which is why it's so important to know how to properly manage relationships on social media. On the bright side, another benefit of social media is the inexpensive cost. Any company can whip up an account and start promoting its services and products! Of course there may be extra costs for better benefits, but the basic services are relatively inexpensive.
Now looking at all the companies engaging in social media, it is clear as to why they do it. The benefits exceed the cons by so much! If you are thinking of starting a business, definitely look into social media customer relationship management.
