by
Heavenly J John , National Head - Aftersales for Ford , Saud Bahwan Group
Connect with your customers.You may already have aFacebookorTwitterprofile for your personal usep; create a social networking profile for your business to connect directly with your customers.
Get blogging.Use a blog platform such asWordpressto update clients and suppliers with news from your business. Comment on other people’sblogsor start a discussion thread in anonline networkingforum.
Encourage feedback.Encouraging and acting on feedback allows you to tailor your product or service to your customers’ needs. Usewww.twtpoll.comto create a poll for your Twitter followers, or ask friends, followers and customers to offer feedback on your product or service.
Respond to the feedback.Note down feedback from allsocial mediaaccounts. Log suggestions separately from complaints.Complaintsare your priority, so set up a policy to deal with them swiftly and efficiently. Use suggestions to generate ideas to improve your product or service.
Monitor feedback online.You must remain aware of what people are saying about your business elsewhere on the internet. Use search engines or tools such asGoogle Analyticsto find reviews of your business.
Keep an eye on the competition.Many sectors have consumer review sites where customers are encouraged to share their experiences. Scan these regularly to see what customers are saying about you and your competitors. If all your rivals seem to have special offers, it might be worth considering launching one, or you could miss out on custom.
Deal with negative feedback promptly.The more engaged you are, the less likely you are to have an online PR disaster. Investigate any complaints thoroughly and contact the customer directly toapologiseor offer a solution if it is your fault.
Note what your customers want.If similar queries come up regularly, look at how they can be avoided by changing your processes. If this is not possible, add an FAQ section to your website to answer regular queries.
Change your customer service.Ensure that the person responsible for your customer service has access to your social media profiles. Pass good feedback on to the relevant team members.
Communicate changes to your employees. Train staff to use social media, and set out a clear policy for anyone using your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
