The increasingly powerful influence that social media has over the client base of businesses can now be measured with groundbreaking technology introduced to the local market by Inter-Active Technologies - South Africa's leading call centre and communications specialist.
The InterAct Social Media Intelligence solution, launched in June this year, provides organisations with the opportunity to highlight and increase the awareness of posts and comments on popular social Web sites related to their business.
Inter-Active Technologies Director of Operations, Gerald Terblanche, notes InterAct provides businesses with regular updates and extensive reports on current 'posts and mentions' through the implementation of the solutions software and services. “All comments - including the positive, neutral and negative - are monitored and reported on. This allows businesses to monitor online interactions and to respond or react accordingly, and ultimately manage their brand proactively, while enhancing customer satisfaction.”
Terblanche warns that by underestimating how social media interaction is influencing a business, organisations run the risk of creating a gap in brand management, which competitors may exploit. “Online social media interaction by consumers is experiencing exponential growth in popularity, and the trend is set to continue,” he explains. “To ignore what is going on in this space is to risk ultimately ignoring your customer. This presents an opportunity for those service providers who embrace the medium to engage with their customers on these platforms, to potentially win customers away from those competitors who remain sceptical of the impact of social media.”
With an increasing number of Internet users publishing their needs, offering advice and sharing their views about businesses via social networks, Terblanche adds that consumers are more inclined to believe an online comment about a product or service published from a complete stranger, before even trying the product or services themselves.
“This explosion in public venting of opinion can be seen as a challenge and an opportunity for any business. InterAct provides instant insight into customer sentiment with respect to comments, suggestions, feedback and trends occurring within the vast social media space,” he continues.
“It allows users to react to and address the needs of their customers in this arena, while being able to track interactions as though they were handled via any one of the other traditional channels of communication such as e-mail, fax, voice, SMS, Web, and chat.”
Unlike traditional media forums, Terblanche points out that many service providers no longer have the choice to ignore or not participate in social media networking, which is making engagement increasingly important.
“An additional catalyst to this growth is the rise in popularity of smartphones and tablet technology, which grant consumers faster and easier access to the Internet.”
Terblanche believes activity from within the social media platform will result in a move away from reactive stances to more proactive approaches, both in product marketing and servicing of customers.
“Social media creates an arena where advocates of products become just as visible as the detractors of the same product. Unlike typical one-on-one interactions, engagement within this media space will force service providers to 'stay on their toes' and ensure consistency of service and quality. Failing this, the millions of pairs of eyes watching the saga unfold will be only too happy to publicly hold the supplier responsible for their own shortcomings,” he concludes.
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