I have had several different occasions which
wound up being very difficult communicating with the given business. In most
cases it has been as simple as wanting to speak directly to a person, yet you
have to go through the menu options. The idea of the menu that offers you
“quick” options by selecting which ever menu number closely relates to your
issues is nice, but not realistic in some cases. If your problem isn’t
addressed by one of the menu options and you are lucky enough to speak with
someone, in most cases they have to transfer you to another department. This in
itself adds to the initial frustration.
In my experience of trying
to contact businesses via social media has been mixed. I believe that it
depends on a few different factors that determine how soon, if at all, that you
will be contacted. Obviously large businesses or those that have a strong internet
following may have some difficulty responding to you if they get a large number
of messages via social media. You may get lost in the shuffle if they do not
have a strong system in place to handle the flow of information in place.
On the other hand, social
media can be extremely visible online. So if the issue isn’t dealt with
correctly, this can be made public a lot faster than if you are playing phone
or email tag with a customer service. The benefit to online information in this
instance is that a person who has had the same issue may be able to respond and
help you resolve the issue. The down side is that negativity breeds negativity.
If the issue isn’t addressed, this could lead to a mass of people expressing
their negative views and opinions towards the matter at hand and the company.
I personally have had
several good experiences communicating with businesses via social media. This
includes comments back to me, pointing me in the right direction for
information, special offers, references, referrals, and
I have even closed a
few deals via social media.
If I ran a business that had
a social media presence, I would respond to both positive and negative
comments. For the positive comments I would thank the person who left the
comment and make sure to ask them to come again and ask them to refer us to
their friends and family.
What made my particular experience positive was simply the recognition of the problem, acknowledgement and a resolution. The fact that I spent money on a defective product had me slightly upset. When I emailed and call the company with no response that was even more upsetting. I don’t generally like to make a spectacle out of any situation. However, I felt compelled to express my discourse online. In the end, the company contacted me and made things right. They offered me some extra items for my troubles which I declined. I was more concerned about what I had purchased even though I was very appreciative of their extra effort to resolve the issue.
What made my particular experience positive was simply the recognition of the problem, acknowledgement and a resolution. The fact that I spent money on a defective product had me slightly upset. When I emailed and call the company with no response that was even more upsetting. I don’t generally like to make a spectacle out of any situation. However, I felt compelled to express my discourse online. In the end, the company contacted me and made things right. They offered me some extra items for my troubles which I declined. I was more concerned about what I had purchased even though I was very appreciative of their extra effort to resolve the issue.
I like the last paragraph you wrote because I can really relate to it..."What made my particular experience positive was simply the recognition of the problem, acknowledgement and a resolution."
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes a good business is a business that recognizes it's consumers, provides solutions, spends money and time researching what the basis of it's consumers want. I mean not everything is fair in life, but that's the advantage point of social media for both parts. You reap what you sow and large corporations can get away with a lot of stuff, but social media has taken note of things and made it public.
Hi Larry,
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely detailed post! And I agree with the course you took to resolve this issue, however I would have taken the additional items because although that may not have been the reason why you went to social media but the end result was worth it! Also it is a great showcase for all the other patrons having the same issue.