In the last few weeks, I’ve posted articles exalting social media and its impact on your company. We’ve seen successful brands grow from marketing via Facebook and Twitter, but we must remember to be cautious of relying solely on these tools. As the saying goes, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Bridget Carey, reporting for the Miami Herald, states, “We are in an age of social media arrogance.” Before you let Twitter become an unwieldy machine, heed some advice: social media is not enough for good customer service.
Compiling Facebook fans and Twitter followers is not sufficient. Online marketer Tara Hunt suggests Twitter alone cannot save your sales numbers. You must find balance between solutions from the web and the real world. Hunt states social media is a “Band-Aid – not a solution.” Satisfaction won’t increase and complaints won’t decrease simply by having someone manage a Twitter account.
Hunt cites Comcast’s Twitter customer-service account as an example. If Comcast receives enough complaints to keep the head of the account busy, there is clearly a greater problem that needs to be addressed. Instead of relying on online tools, why not provide a more personalized experience? Why not hire more people to work the phones instead of social media sites?
Of course, this isn’t to say you should abandon social media. Just don’t neglect your blog, your company’s primary website, and most importantly human interactions with your customers. Social media is and will remain a valuable tool for companies, but don’t forget there are other solutions to promoting your brand and resolving issues.
