Active C to C (Customer to Customer) Communication Is On Horizon

Except for a few well heeled user groups and the occasional industry
conference, business level C to C (Customer To Customer) Communications is not common.

Business customers are sometimes competitors and fear the risks inherent in candid discussion.

Except for customer references and the ubiquitous PowerPoint "Logo Slide" business customers of a single business or vendor don't really know other business customers. Nor have they made a serious effort to seek out other customers.

Is this changing? Count on it.

Twitter may be the channel that opens the door to C to C Communications.

There already is candid consumer feedback about vendor performance on Twitter. Take the recent example of Comcast being "shocked" by Twitter responses.

It is a small step to business C to C ... and to even more pointed discussions about common vendors.

Think about it:

Twitter is business oriented. Okay there are personal observations but business dedicated postings are a powerful presence.

Twitter is universal - or is going to be, touching most businesses. Already there are industry discussion groups.

With new, more sophisticated grouping and deck or platform tools, Twitter provides a means for all the customers of a single business or vendor to link and communicate..

Twitter facilitates C to C Communication - at every level.

Question: Is your business, your Customer Service, ready for customers - your customers - to talk to each other about ... service levels, pricing, rebates, discounts, account team performance, commitments, schedules ... all your business operations?

It better be.

Here are some ways to prepare for the Customer to Customer
Communications of the NEAR future.

• Embrace Twitter and start your own separate customer, industry and overall
  business groups, decks and dialogues.
• Provide valuable information and become a trusted source.
• Instruct Sales and Customer Service staff on the uses of Twitter.
• Keep the personal chatter to a minimum.
• Monitor what is being said (it not spying ... it's all out in the open)
• Join the conversation and keep it positive.
• Plan your Twitter posture ... in fact, you entire social media presence.
• Consider how you will address specific discussions (for instance,
  pricing) if/when they occur.

But the best way to assure positive C to C discussion is still to price
competitively, meet high quality standards, maintain service excellence, deliver what is promised, and always DELIGHT CUSTOMERS!