Distributors can use SAP software solutions to manage a key element of their customer service experience: social media.
In a post on Forbes.com, Frank Eliason, senior vice president for social media at Citibank, argues that businesses are failing when it comes to social media customer service. They aren’t using the right benchmarks to gauge how they’re doing on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and company officials aren’t being clued in on what’s truly important.
“Today, companies are focusing on metrics such as ‘likes,’ fans, followers, etc. These metrics tell you nothing of substance,” Eliason writes. “Few companies tie this information directly to their customers through measurements such as the net promoter score of the social customer, what products they are buying, etc.”
This is a hot topic, and one that SAP software solutions are addressing. SAP’s Cloud for Social Engagement helps B2C or the B2B2C companies monitor what their customers are saying to determine brand sentiment. Applications are being crafted to “listen” to the customer on multiple channels, including traditional email as well as Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels.
Of course, the application is nothing without a corresponding change in process and attitude away from time- and motion-based metrics to qualitative measurements such as the quality of the customer’s experience.
The key is for your customer service and fulfillment systems to be integrated and automated. For example, if a customer posts on Facebook that your company didn’t ship a product next-day as promised, your customer service staff can immediately start a conversation with that customer to remedy the problem. However, that information also needs to be relayed internally so that the order is expedited to the customer as promised.
To be successful using social media, companies should empower employees, provide a better experience to customers and be flexible, the Forbes.com article explains. Simultaneously, they should not be afraid of customers or minimize the value of their feedback. Technology can help, but above all, your employees must be passionate about taking that feedback and providing great customer service.
Source: Forbes.com, July 2013
