What’s your expectation for a company when it comes to listening – and acknowledgment and response?
My friend Jeff Shuey and I chatted a bit about Foursquare the other day on Twitter. I said I didn’t really get it yet. He was dismayed that he thought they had some customer service and response shortcomings, and cited the fact that he and lots of other people talk to and about them on Twitter, but they’ve yet to respond.
Which got me thinking (again).
What’s our critical mass for expecting companies to hear us when we talk about them?
Is it enough for one person to say something before we expect the company to respond? A dozen? Hundreds?
And is our expectation that they respond to everything? Or just complaints or suggestions? Compliments?
It seems like we all have different standards for performance or success in this regard, so I’m wondering if there’s a constant we can help companies go by.
And as my friend Justin Kownacki recently wrote, there’s definitely a line where we can become too entitled, too demanding, and too self-centered with our online ranting. I think he has a point.
So now that we know companies can listen, it seems we’ve changed our tolerances for responsiveness and individual attention. Is that okay? Is that realistic? Fair? Smart business? What’s the difference between being responsive and being indulgent of every shout? Is there one?
You tell me.
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Companies need to react to any “mention”. Even though most questions or remarks won’t matter to or interest anyone else, not even your company, but themselves, they do expect you to answer.
Look at it from this point of view: when you buy a new phone and don’t understand the menu to add a contact, you go back to the store where you bought it. The shop employee will fix your problem without even blinking, but thinks you’re an E-tard.
And of all people, those E-tards are your happy crowd. They will actively brand you to their friends (who will prolly react by telling them as well how to add a contact). Your name will linger in their complete network. On Twitter, people might even RT, expressing their gratitude.
Myself, I kind of expect a reaction, but I’m still surprised when a company does so at all. Now you can still surpise people, this is the best time to learn how to.
Companies need to react to any “mention”. Even though most questions or remarks won’t matter to or interest anyone else, not even your company, but themselves, they do expect you to answer.
Look at it from this point of view: when you buy a new phone and don’t understand the menu to add a contact, you go back to the store where you bought it. The shop employee will fix your problem without even blinking, but thinks you’re an E-tard.
And of all people, those E-tards are your happy crowd. They will actively brand you to their friends (who will prolly react by telling them as well how to add a contact). Your name will linger in their complete network. On Twitter, people might even RT, expressing their gratitude.
Myself, I kind of expect a reaction, but I’m still surprised when a company does so at all. Now you can still surpise people, this is the best time to learn how to.
I remind my clients that their brand exists in the minds of their customers. Like it or not, customers are individuals each with their own mind, each with their own thoughts on a particular brand, and each with their own mouth with which to praise or condemn your brand. So I would think a company would want to respond to as many individual mentions as possible.
How hard is it for any company to have one or two people who are their social networking brand leaders? A personal face on the goliath company that reacts to all mentions. Can you imagine the goodwill that would create? My guess would be that for the investment required to create one or two jobs, the returns could be priceless.
Best,
Bob
.-= Bob Donohue´s last blog ..The Mental Image Brand =-.
Bob,
I agree with you that actively engaging your customers on a personal level is hugely beneficial to your brand loyalty and awareness. But the issue is how does “goodwill” fit into your bottom line. With any expense, in this case one or two jobs, the investment must be justified by a quantifiable return. Priceless isn’t really a term that most companies will build a strategy upon. ROI needs to be quantified, not qualified.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Desensitized consumers = devalued advertising =-.
Some good counterpoints here, and I wanted to clarify my thinking. I didn’t mean that companies should reply every time their brand name is mentioned. I was thinking more in terms of replying to direct comments or questions. In reading the post, I was thinking of two different people on twitter. One is an author whose book I read and loved. I told her so with an @reply, and didn’t get any response. It was a statement directed at her, not about her.
The other is the hosting company I use. They have a ticket support system on their web site, but you can also get support through their twitter account. Just @ them and they’re there.
But if I just mentioned Coca-Cola or Microsoft in a tweet or on Facebook, I certainly would not want them chatting me up. I agree that would be annoying for me, and a waste of their time and resources.
Best,
Bob
.-= Bob Donohue´s last blog ..The Mental Image Brand =-.
I remind my clients that their brand exists in the minds of their customers. Like it or not, customers are individuals each with their own mind, each with their own thoughts on a particular brand, and each with their own mouth with which to praise or condemn your brand. So I would think a company would want to respond to as many individual mentions as possible.
How hard is it for any company to have one or two people who are their social networking brand leaders? A personal face on the goliath company that reacts to all mentions. Can you imagine the goodwill that would create? My guess would be that for the investment required to create one or two jobs, the returns could be priceless.
Best,
Bob
.-= Bob Donohue´s last blog ..The Mental Image Brand =-.
Bob,
I agree with you that actively engaging your customers on a personal level is hugely beneficial to your brand loyalty and awareness. But the issue is how does “goodwill” fit into your bottom line. With any expense, in this case one or two jobs, the investment must be justified by a quantifiable return. Priceless isn’t really a term that most companies will build a strategy upon. ROI needs to be quantified, not qualified.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Desensitized consumers = devalued advertising =-.
Some good counterpoints here, and I wanted to clarify my thinking. I didn’t mean that companies should reply every time their brand name is mentioned. I was thinking more in terms of replying to direct comments or questions. In reading the post, I was thinking of two different people on twitter. One is an author whose book I read and loved. I told her so with an @reply, and didn’t get any response. It was a statement directed at her, not about her.
The other is the hosting company I use. They have a ticket support system on their web site, but you can also get support through their twitter account. Just @ them and they’re there.
But if I just mentioned Coca-Cola or Microsoft in a tweet or on Facebook, I certainly would not want them chatting me up. I agree that would be annoying for me, and a waste of their time and resources.
Best,
Bob
.-= Bob Donohue´s last blog ..The Mental Image Brand =-.
I disagree with Tasmijn’s comment that companies NEED to respond to any mention. Not everyone who mentions a company — whether positively or negatively — is expecting a response. In fact, I personally have been creeped out by companies who comment on something I’ve said about them within moments of me having said it.
There’s a fine line between proactive customer relations and cyber-stalking, even from a business POV.
.-= Justin Kownacki´s last blog ..You Can’t Outsource Accountability =-.
I disagree with Tasmijn’s comment that companies NEED to respond to any mention. Not everyone who mentions a company — whether positively or negatively — is expecting a response. In fact, I personally have been creeped out by companies who comment on something I’ve said about them within moments of me having said it.
There’s a fine line between proactive customer relations and cyber-stalking, even from a business POV.
.-= Justin Kownacki´s last blog ..You Can’t Outsource Accountability =-.
I’m with Justin on this one. I think it’s important for companies to be aware of what people are saying about them – good/bad/indifferent – but there is no need to respond to all. I’m less concerned about the creepy/big brother effect; more about the fact that it’s just not possible for a human (or humans or team or whatever) to respond to all. Also, sometimes people don’t really want a reply. They just want to complain.
As my old boss always reminds me…”pick your battles.”
Sidebar: Justin – you are friends with Amber, right? So am I. By the transitive property, I think you and I are also friends. Is that correct?
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Social Media Is Not Necessary =-.
If we apply your methodology to dating, I think the results might be sufficiently alarming as to negate any further ruminations on the transitive property.
.-= Justin Kownacki´s last blog ..Spoken For: The Insanity of the Filibuster =-.
Justin –
Duly noted.
Well said.
All of the above.
OUT.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Social Media Is Not Necessary =-.
I’m with Justin on this one. I think it’s important for companies to be aware of what people are saying about them – good/bad/indifferent – but there is no need to respond to all. I’m less concerned about the creepy/big brother effect; more about the fact that it’s just not possible for a human (or humans or team or whatever) to respond to all. Also, sometimes people don’t really want a reply. They just want to complain.
As my old boss always reminds me…”pick your battles.”
Sidebar: Justin – you are friends with Amber, right? So am I. By the transitive property, I think you and I are also friends. Is that correct?
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Social Media Is Not Necessary =-.
If we apply your methodology to dating, I think the results might be sufficiently alarming as to negate any further ruminations on the transitive property.
.-= Justin Kownacki´s last blog ..Spoken For: The Insanity of the Filibuster =-.
Justin –
Duly noted.
Well said.
All of the above.
OUT.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Social Media Is Not Necessary =-.
Amber,
Love your post and your blog. I also blogged about a similar topic here,
http://mikepascucci.com/2009/11/30/have-we-become-spoiled/
I think some people expectations are to lofty.
Mike Pascucci
Amber,
Love your post and your blog. I also blogged about a similar topic here,
http://mikepascucci.com/2009/11/30/have-we-become-spoiled/
I think some people expectations are to lofty.
Mike Pascucci
Excellent question Amber. I’m with Justin and DJ on this one. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect every company or brand to respond to every single mention online. All you have to do is set up a Radian6 target profile for a brand to realize how daunting that task would be. 😉 Not to mention, it doesn’t always make sense to respond to everything. I was monitoring for a client a few months back and ran across some negative chatter in a forum for Corvette owners. The client was a QSR chain. Now, imagine how intrusive it would be for a restaurant chain to go into a community that has nothing to do with food and respond to the mentions of their brand. It just doesn’t make sense, and would undoubtedly cause a backlash.
I think we also have to be careful with scaring clients into thinking they MUST be ‘on call’ 24/7/365. It makes sense for some brands, but not all. This post is an excellent reminder that there is no established protocol for this yet. It’s hard to imagine that this will ever be defined and agreed upon. I think it’s up to each company to determine what the threshold is for responding, and hopefully this is done with the counsel of professionals that understand the space and can provide helpful guidance.
One final thought – it does seem that ‘social’ companies should be responding to questions, feedback, etc. I’ve also experienced this same thing with Foursquare – in fact, I asked a question through Twitter about whether or not there were fees for business participation. It was an exploratory question for me at the time, but had I been in serious planning for a client, they might have seen revenue or participation go elsewhere due to the lack of response. So, in cases like this I think it’s unacceptable to remain silent. If you’re going to set up a Twitter account and talk about your service (especially one built on being social), you better be ready to field questions or comments that come up along the way.
Thanks to everyone for the discussion.
@brandon101
.-= Brandon Sutton´s last blog ..What does your brand stand for? =-.
Excellent question Amber. I’m with Justin and DJ on this one. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect every company or brand to respond to every single mention online. All you have to do is set up a Radian6 target profile for a brand to realize how daunting that task would be. 😉 Not to mention, it doesn’t always make sense to respond to everything. I was monitoring for a client a few months back and ran across some negative chatter in a forum for Corvette owners. The client was a QSR chain. Now, imagine how intrusive it would be for a restaurant chain to go into a community that has nothing to do with food and respond to the mentions of their brand. It just doesn’t make sense, and would undoubtedly cause a backlash.
I think we also have to be careful with scaring clients into thinking they MUST be ‘on call’ 24/7/365. It makes sense for some brands, but not all. This post is an excellent reminder that there is no established protocol for this yet. It’s hard to imagine that this will ever be defined and agreed upon. I think it’s up to each company to determine what the threshold is for responding, and hopefully this is done with the counsel of professionals that understand the space and can provide helpful guidance.
One final thought – it does seem that ‘social’ companies should be responding to questions, feedback, etc. I’ve also experienced this same thing with Foursquare – in fact, I asked a question through Twitter about whether or not there were fees for business participation. It was an exploratory question for me at the time, but had I been in serious planning for a client, they might have seen revenue or participation go elsewhere due to the lack of response. So, in cases like this I think it’s unacceptable to remain silent. If you’re going to set up a Twitter account and talk about your service (especially one built on being social), you better be ready to field questions or comments that come up along the way.
Thanks to everyone for the discussion.
@brandon101
.-= Brandon Sutton´s last blog ..What does your brand stand for? =-.
I take the approach that not all comments, complaints or discussions need me to be a part of or respond to in all cases. As a representative of BlogWorld & New Media Expo, we had a huge amount of mentions after the show. I looked at most all of them and if needed for commenting or conversation I joined or reached out to the person. Some discussions or mentions just go without saying. Trolls sometimes need to be ignored and others need to have special attention. This is a great post for all “community managers” to read and comment.
Of course I forgot to mention that most companies have no idea how to listen.
.-= Jim “Genuine” Turner´s last blog ..Just What We Need…A Twitter Song! =-.
I take the approach that not all comments, complaints or discussions need me to be a part of or respond to in all cases. As a representative of BlogWorld & New Media Expo, we had a huge amount of mentions after the show. I looked at most all of them and if needed for commenting or conversation I joined or reached out to the person. Some discussions or mentions just go without saying. Trolls sometimes need to be ignored and others need to have special attention. This is a great post for all “community managers” to read and comment.
Of course I forgot to mention that most companies have no idea how to listen.
.-= Jim “Genuine” Turner´s last blog ..Just What We Need…A Twitter Song! =-.
Great point to bring up! I’m not sure where our expectations will settle, but as the world adjusts, I do think that some unreasonable expectations exist. In a “right now” environment, that’s exactly what we want…all of us. What is reasonable has yet to be established IMO. With real-time search a hot topic, and more people realizing the need to be involved with the channels that generate what is now page 1 Google material, it feels like one missed opportunity to connect is too many. I don’t think this will be long term though. Thanks for shedding light on this!
.-= James Ball´s last blog ..Wearing Your Company’s Social Media Seal-Of-Approval =-.
Great point to bring up! I’m not sure where our expectations will settle, but as the world adjusts, I do think that some unreasonable expectations exist. In a “right now” environment, that’s exactly what we want…all of us. What is reasonable has yet to be established IMO. With real-time search a hot topic, and more people realizing the need to be involved with the channels that generate what is now page 1 Google material, it feels like one missed opportunity to connect is too many. I don’t think this will be long term though. Thanks for shedding light on this!
.-= James Ball´s last blog ..Wearing Your Company’s Social Media Seal-Of-Approval =-.
What if we let our people practice listening? Just responding to a blog requires the application of listening/thinking skills which are key elements in opening up conversation threads
.-= Richard Bosworth´s last blog ..What if…you boosted customer retention through the perfect sales process? =-.
What if we let our people practice listening? Just responding to a blog requires the application of listening/thinking skills which are key elements in opening up conversation threads
.-= Richard Bosworth´s last blog ..What if…you boosted customer retention through the perfect sales process? =-.
Amber,
I think everyone makes valid points to one degree or another. Social media is about degrees of comfort. Some people are comfortable with responding to everything and will make he time to do so because they see some value to their business.
One interesting thing I see over and over is the use of “we” when describing many social media concerns. “we” have to remember that “we” do not really represent the vast majority of people out there whether its in regard to the level of social media usage or to how far along the curve they are in using it.
To frame an social media from “our” inside the industry perspective will skew the results away from what is actually normal. “We” may be best served to stop listening to ourselves and concentrate on what actual customers will do in these situations.
Just my two cents.
Keep up the great work.
Amber,
I think everyone makes valid points to one degree or another. Social media is about degrees of comfort. Some people are comfortable with responding to everything and will make he time to do so because they see some value to their business.
One interesting thing I see over and over is the use of “we” when describing many social media concerns. “we” have to remember that “we” do not really represent the vast majority of people out there whether its in regard to the level of social media usage or to how far along the curve they are in using it.
To frame an social media from “our” inside the industry perspective will skew the results away from what is actually normal. “We” may be best served to stop listening to ourselves and concentrate on what actual customers will do in these situations.
Just my two cents.
Keep up the great work.
Amber,
Very thoughtful post!
Companies will monitor comments when they realize it is in their self-interest, not based on what early adopter customers want (as others have in effect said).
There is an opportunity here: Why not put on your social media hat and compile a list of comments on twitter and elsewhere. Package it up for someone in the company to see. Indicate that there are online reputation issues as well as business opportunities out there that the company is deaf to. Let them feel the sting. Indicate that you have helped other companies deal profitably with issues like these (if it is true).
They won’t make a move in your direction until they feel pain. So don’t pitch, let the sting sink in. The good ones will want further contact with you.
Worth a shot!
Susan Kuhn Frost
Entrepreneurship Coach
http://twitter.com/sweetsue
Devious but great advice. I mean devious in a good way of course. Perhaps the better word was “genius”. Who should we pick on? A great case study op here.
Amber,
Very thoughtful post!
Companies will monitor comments when they realize it is in their self-interest, not based on what early adopter customers want (as others have in effect said).
There is an opportunity here: Why not put on your social media hat and compile a list of comments on twitter and elsewhere. Package it up for someone in the company to see. Indicate that there are online reputation issues as well as business opportunities out there that the company is deaf to. Let them feel the sting. Indicate that you have helped other companies deal profitably with issues like these (if it is true).
They won’t make a move in your direction until they feel pain. So don’t pitch, let the sting sink in. The good ones will want further contact with you.
Worth a shot!
Susan Kuhn Frost
Entrepreneurship Coach
http://twitter.com/sweetsue
Devious but great advice. I mean devious in a good way of course. Perhaps the better word was “genius”. Who should we pick on? A great case study op here.
Hi Amber,
Great post, as always. And it got me thinking about “borders” and when companies may be crossing them. Just like I don’t want to be spammed by a company for 6 months after I download a piece of information from their site, or subscribe to an e-newsletter, I would hope they wouldn’t respond to each and every comment about their brand. Some people just like to share and be social and not hear back – and to Justin’s point – that’s the stuff cyber-stalkers are made of.
However, if there appears to be conversations occurring, not just comments, then a company would want to listen closely and consider joining in. But, just as in decades past, if that comment comes from the one individual or source that can do the most harm to your business, you better hope your ear is to the ground so you can hear it coming.
Hi Amber,
Great post, as always. And it got me thinking about “borders” and when companies may be crossing them. Just like I don’t want to be spammed by a company for 6 months after I download a piece of information from their site, or subscribe to an e-newsletter, I would hope they wouldn’t respond to each and every comment about their brand. Some people just like to share and be social and not hear back – and to Justin’s point – that’s the stuff cyber-stalkers are made of.
However, if there appears to be conversations occurring, not just comments, then a company would want to listen closely and consider joining in. But, just as in decades past, if that comment comes from the one individual or source that can do the most harm to your business, you better hope your ear is to the ground so you can hear it coming.
Great post Amber. I agree with Christine, we would hope that companies would respond to each and every comment or complaint, but that unfortunately is not always the case.
I do feel that with the online chat tool as well as feedback that they are definitely starting to be more responsive than before we had the internet or the social media tools that we have now.
Great post Amber. I agree with Christine, we would hope that companies would respond to each and every comment or complaint, but that unfortunately is not always the case.
I do feel that with the online chat tool as well as feedback that they are definitely starting to be more responsive than before we had the internet or the social media tools that we have now.
It definitely depends on company culture and we can’t have a fixed number or constant on how to respond. For example if I tweet something about Zappos I can get a respond from Zappos_Service, Zappos_insights or many of other employees at Zappos, that’s because they’ve empowered employees to do it and it’s easier to get a response because there’s so many of them out there. On the other side there’s companies with one official Twitter account which makes it impossible to answer to all the questions or mentions, in that case I think the right thing to do is answer direct questions, then if you have time thank for the mentions and above all respond to negative feedback with a thanks for the feedback we will work on it (or we will consider it for the future). Now that Facebook is open and many people have different privacy setting we can expect that we’ll get some responses there too.
In conclusion, it really depends on the company policy and culture, but also in the physical and mental capability to answer to all the mentions. The advice we can give is: answer to feedback and questions first, then other things.
.-= Jorge´s last blog ..The douchebag on board! =-.
It definitely depends on company culture and we can’t have a fixed number or constant on how to respond. For example if I tweet something about Zappos I can get a respond from Zappos_Service, Zappos_insights or many of other employees at Zappos, that’s because they’ve empowered employees to do it and it’s easier to get a response because there’s so many of them out there. On the other side there’s companies with one official Twitter account which makes it impossible to answer to all the questions or mentions, in that case I think the right thing to do is answer direct questions, then if you have time thank for the mentions and above all respond to negative feedback with a thanks for the feedback we will work on it (or we will consider it for the future). Now that Facebook is open and many people have different privacy setting we can expect that we’ll get some responses there too.
In conclusion, it really depends on the company policy and culture, but also in the physical and mental capability to answer to all the mentions. The advice we can give is: answer to feedback and questions first, then other things.
.-= Jorge´s last blog ..The douchebag on board! =-.
Where corruption can occur, it will occur. People are learning to game the system and the problem is going to snowball.
P.S. In all due respect, I am so tired of hearing about Zappos I could hurl. Will somebody please come up with a new case study?
.-= Mark W Schaefer´s last blog ..Twitter in the trenches: An interview with Lance the repairman =-.
Where corruption can occur, it will occur. People are learning to game the system and the problem is going to snowball.
P.S. In all due respect, I am so tired of hearing about Zappos I could hurl. Will somebody please come up with a new case study?
.-= Mark W Schaefer´s last blog ..Twitter in the trenches: An interview with Lance the repairman =-.
@Mark W Schaefer
You stole the word out of my mouth.
.-= Rennell Garrett´s last blog ..Atlanta Marketing Agencies: Secrets to Business Success! =-.
@Mark W Schaefer
You stole the word out of my mouth.
.-= Rennell Garrett´s last blog ..Atlanta Marketing Agencies: Secrets to Business Success! =-.
Great post that got me thinking!
I think companies have the technology and mechanisms to listen but whether that means they ‘can’ listen is another factor! Dell supposedly do it well but only after they burnt a lot of bridges first. The future is about the relationships we build with people. An integral part of that is listening and then actually acting on what you hear.
Great post that got me thinking!
I think companies have the technology and mechanisms to listen but whether that means they ‘can’ listen is another factor! Dell supposedly do it well but only after they burnt a lot of bridges first. The future is about the relationships we build with people. An integral part of that is listening and then actually acting on what you hear.
When companies listen, they get the trend.
When companies listen, they get the trend.