I was discussing the value of social media customer service with author and leading authority on customer experience, Dan Gingiss, when he said: “But for social media, we wouldn’t be talking about customer experience.”

As an advocate for building social media and digital skills within public and private sector organisations, the simplicity of this statement stunned me.

Dan wasn’t trying to justify why leaders should take social media seriously – he was simply stating a fact. Social media has already been the catalyst for what is now a strategic priority across most boardrooms globally: customer experience.

It’s true. Without social media, organisations would care far less about customer experience. Because until widespread consumer adoption of platforms like Facebook, Twitter and online communities, organisations could largely control the customer experience and consumers didn’t have a means to talk back.

Suddenly they did. Suddenly organisations cared.

Regardless of its current role or profile within your own organisation, given social media’s influence over customer experience it’s impossible to ignore its impact.

How social media has driven a focus on customer experience.

The above graph tracks the journey of ‘social media’ and ‘customer experience’ as unique search phrases over the past 15 years in Australia via Google Trends. While ‘customer experience’ is not a new concept, search interest trends sharply upwards from 2011 onwards. Two years after social media saw the same rise among consumers.

While we of course can’t ignore things like the introduction of new platforms and technology advancements, what landmark events around 2009-2010 led to such a sudden rise in public interest around social media?

• The value of social media for customer service became clear. European air travel was brought to a standstill when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted in March (and forced John Cleese to catch a cab from Oslo to Brussels). When all other service channels failed, Dutch airline KLM turned to a new and largely untested medium – social media – to help field stranded consumer queries. The natural disaster was a catalyst for KLM’s continued journey towards optimal customer experience that has already delivered numerous business benefits and industry accolades over the past decade.
• The impact of social media on corporate reputation – and the bottom line – became clear. The Deepwater Horizon explosion and ensuing crisis began in April, sparking a global activist-driven, consumer-supported response to environmental responsibility. Social media enabled mass and rapid empowerment of consumers to hijack BP’s brand (such as BPGlobalPR on Twitter and Rebrand the BP logo on Flickr). It also provided a platform for ongoing awareness and criticism of the then-CEO’s ill-timed and insensitive comments.
• The influence of social media on political powers became clear. Governments and citizens the world over realised ruling parties could no longer control their future when the Arab Spring began in December. Despite trying to block access to certain websites and platforms like Facebook, those in power could not prevent citizen rebellion. In fact, in one poll nine out of ten Egyptians and Tunisians confirmed they had used Facebook to organise protests and spread awareness of their plight, leading to local activism and global coverage.

At the same time in 2010, global consumer adoption of social media channels grew by nearly 30% with Australian users behind only Italy in terms of hours spent on social networks (nearly 6.5 hours per month – almost an hour above the global average). 

Consumers recognised the potential of participation for themselves. They realised they could ask questions, give feedback, learn from others and influence the way organisations engaged them. They realised their experience was public and that it mattered. 

How would organisations respond? How should organisations and Government agencies respond today, nearly ten years on?

Should you use social media for service, sales, brand or consumer insights?

While consideration, adoption and expansion of social media programs of course needs to start somewhere, the truth is your customer owns social media.

If there is hard evidence or consumer behaviours indicate an openness to hearing about new products and services online, how can your marketing team recognise those behaviours and deliver a good experience via social media?

If existing customers are seeking support, asking questions or making complaints – either to you or about you – online, how can your service team meet that demand and demonstrate a commitment to their channel preferences?

If your target audience is already active online and values industry insights and connections that make their lives easier, how can your sales teams enhance their approach and tap into prospect cues to deliver relevant, timely insights and introductions?

And, with any of these examples, even if your organisation is not on social media, the enormous opportunity to improve customer experience is with social media.

Whether you’re delivering marketing, service or sales initiatives via branded social media channels or not, all organisations and Government agencies stand to gain from simply listening to consumer attitudes about their brand, category, industry or competitors. These consumer insights are the public real-time gold no other channel can provide.

So worry less about where social media ownership sits in your organisation as anyone with a customer remit should want to harness its insight and engagement benefits. If you’re not already, take a moment now to learn how your team can better align with customer expectations – listen to customers and prospects to understand their behaviours, frustrations and aspirations. Social media already influences the research behaviours, purchase decisions and service expectations of your prospective customers, and what they think and do matters.

Just focus on your customers. You’ll learn where your next opportunity lies and have the foundations you need to deliver improved experiences across all business lines.

Our free social media customer service tips and resource will take you through the steps needed to deliver immediate and sustainable benefits to your team, organisation and customer. Though this is just the beginning, we know your team will be better placed to deliver exceptional customer service through this review and we look forward to hearing the results.