Participation and interaction is just one-half of the equation for social media success. Equally essential is the need for continuous real-time monitoring and tracking. Consumers have a powerful voice and their comments live forever in the "permanent record" of a search engine. Fair or not, consumers now have the expectation that their voices will not only be heard but responded to.
Ignorance ? Bliss
The old adage that ignoring a lone detractor will make him/her go away no longer applies. As brands like Dell, Comcast, and United have learned, ignoring an isolated voice carries the risk of generating a groundswell of negative PR and sullied reputation. After all, it's safe to say that none of these respectable brands ever anticipated "Dell Hell", "ComcastMustDie.com," or "United Breaks Guitars."
With this in mind, the brand needs to be able to respond quickly when a consumer talks about you or your product. A response can take many forms, but here are the most common:
- Saying "Thank you."
- Saying "We hear you."
- Leaving a comment asking for a follow-up call.
- Routing a complaint to an available customer service operator.
- Routing an alternate solution or idea to the appropriate internal division.
Necessary Resources and Resume
Resource-wise, monitoring requires the attention of at least one full-time employee. In the beginning, it's safe to assume that real-time conversation monitoring will take up 25-50% of this employee's time. As the brand becomes more popular and consumers realize a "real human" is listening, the level of conversation will increase and the monitoring will take up nearly 75% of their time.
The resume this employee brings to the table requires a skillset than goes beyond the traditional "excellent oral and written communication skills." Indeed, it requires experience in customer service and the credible expertise that will ensure their own voice is listened to over internal detractors. In many ways, this employee will need to act as an "organizational octopus" with the ability to cross over various levels of the company org chart.
More than anything, real-time conversation monitoring and tracking is an opportunity. Not only to establish an outstanding reputation for good customer service, but to turn ordinary consumers into passionate evangelists. After all, a quick response can often mean the difference between turning an advocate into a committed detractor.
