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!

Three Little Letters to Delight Customers

By Josh Jordan, Senior Contributing Editor to Delight Customers!

AND:

Used to connect two homogeneous (similar) words or phrases; Used at the end of a list to indicate the last item; Used to join sentences or sentence fragments in chronological order; Used to indicate causation; To; used to connect two finite verbs (thanks wikipedia)

AND:

Acknowledge Notify Deliver - a closed loop process for Delighting Customers!

Customers want to know that you are there watching out for them; thinking about them; and meeting expectations. Often times, you have a response in hand based on your knowledge of the customer and project. It's when you don't that you can create and opportunity to delight.

Using AND to do more that just tie words together will instill confidence and manage expectations.

Acknowledge:

When customers send in a request over the phone, email, fax, twitter, facebook, smoke signal, what is your respone? Do you wait until you have an answer to reply? It is of the utmost importance to let your customer know you have received their request and are addressing it.

It's as simple as, "Judy, thanks for email. I just want to let you know that I am going to talk to Tina and find out where things stand. Give me an (appropriate amount of time) and I'll have an update, or answer for you."

Notify:

Tracking down Tina, who also has a full-time job, may not be easy. That's why it is important to notify your customer as you make progress in providing an answer. Don't leave your customer to sit at their desk when they have plenty of things on their own "to-do" list. Consistently notify them that you are working for them.

"Judy, Tina and I are meeting with the team at 2 p.m. and I'll have information for you by 3 p.m."

If the meeting gets postponed, let Judy know!

Deliver:

You've created an expectation, now satisfy it.

"Judy, I met with Tina, Dave and Tom. There are three options we can provide ... How would you like to proceed."

or, create delight and make a recommendation:

"Judy, I met with Tina, Dave and Tom. There are three options we can provide ... Based on your program and needs, we feel option 1 is a good fit. How would you like to proceed?"

AND is a simple process that we know we should follow everyday. Keeping AND in mind, will help you avoid a customer looking for results and provide a consistent experience in customer service.

Josh can be reached at josh.d.jordan@gmail.com

Customer Service: Up to Your Neck In Alligators?

"When you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that the initial objective was to drain the swamp."


Customer Service can be a swamp some days with mucky problems, slippery details and chomping competitors.


When the waters are dark and the alligators are circling, here are some points to remember:

• Flailing invites attack. Firm resolve is a sign of strength.


• Never fail to ask for, or accept a helping hand when the water is rising.


• Excuses are like quicksand. Solutions lead to firm ground.


• Inaction is stagnation. You never get out of the swamp unless you are moving forward.


• Carefully choose your steps to keep from getting in deeper.


• Pace yourself for the trek. Take a breather when needed.


• If available, an experienced guide can be a lifesaver.

Follow the path and step out of the swamp stronger, wiser and focused on the initial objective to DELIGHT CUSTOMERS!