Founder Speak

Why Customer Service Needs A Social Makeover

The service industry relies heavily on customer service and how customers value that service.

Recently when a friend organizing an event was feeling shortchanged by a hospitality group, she tried to speak to them about their commitment and agree to the earlier terms. After some time though she realized that they weren't interested in keeping their side of the deal. Irate at the the turn of events, she took to Twitter. Within minutes someone from the hospitality group monitoring the tweets responded and by next day her problem was solved.

Actress Ayesha Takia too tweeted about her discontent with Kingfisher airlines, which not only got the founder's attention but had him personally responding and ironing out the issues as well.

Welcome to the world of social makeover, thanks to the proliferation of social media.

Facebook with 800 million accounts has become the third largest nation in the world after China and India. Most brands and brand managers are present on social networks. As the number of users on social media grows, customer feedback both good and bad travels thick and fast. 

A small example: a classmate of mine started an online business and I happened to buy one of his products and recommend it on Facebook. Soon inquiries from my networks came pouring in asking me about my experience with the product and the service. Perhaps, my positive recommendation led others to try the it as well.

The bottom line is that in the over-marketed world that we live in, personal recommendations whether good or bad really do count. Thanks to social media the makeover of customer care is on the way.

 By Dr.Vikram Venkateswaran, Founder & Director | TheSocialPeople

Dr. Vikram Venkateswaran is a marketing professional with almost 10 years of experience. He is passionate about public health, blogging, writing, public speaking and lawn tennis. He can be followed on his twitter handle @drvikram. Visit his blog at Docter Soccer.

Founder Speak is our weekly column by the founders of TheSocialPeople- Viral Thaker & Dr.Vikram Venkateswaran.