Businesses cannot harness the power of social markets unless they have successfully engaged with their customers.
So says Genesys regional director for southern and eastern Africa, Peter Flanagan.
Technology, coupled with customer expectations, is pushing customer relations into a new socially empowered territory. Building the social customer into the fabric of the business and customer service is critical to remaining competitive in this new landscape, says Flanagan.
A Twitter or Facebook account is not enough, he says, noting that 'likes' and followers are nothing compared to a correctly integrated consumer base, advantaged by well-engineered social solutions.
Flanagan states that an example of an empowered social user base is prevalent in the aviation industry, with companies like SAA and British Airways allowing for "digital check-ins", permitting boarding passes, flight status and bag-check information to be accessed via the customer's chosen device.
By allowing social users these utilities, you help build brand association and loyalty, and can better maintain positive relations, says Genesys. The social customer both needs and expects more than front-end customer service, marketing and crisis control; businesses must create enabling utilities for their clientele.
After all, it is well known that customers take to social media to voice discontent, and that if the message spreads fast enough, even the mightiest of companies tremble and give way.
The key to success, says Genesys, is in ensuring user-generated content is enabled, with real-time feedback, customer opinion and organic conversations all happening in the customer's channel of choice.
A behavioural shift is needed towards these goals, says the company, putting forward its own CRM software for easy integration of social and mobile interactions without compromising ongoing service models.
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