When customers need help, they expect companies to offer it quickly and through multiple social media channels – but most companies aren't set up to do that. Some companies increase their social media staff to provide live responses during big events like the Super Bowl or the Grammys, but then revert to one-way social media or predominantly marketing content. Since 2013, the number of customers waiting for a response via social media has doubled, according to a study by Sprout SocialHowever, seven out of eight messages to businesses go unanswered for 72 hours.
To complicate matters further, consumers expect a single account that provides the answers to all kinds of needs, including marketing information and customer service. But marketers simply aren't prepared to handle questions or complaints about service, product performance, or other non-marketing requests.
To be most effective at building relationships with consumers online, companies need a cross-functional social media team, one where marketing works in tandem with other departments. Distributing social responsibilities to relevant people in the organization can be efficient, effective, and help make customer engagement one-to-one and scalable.
Cross-functional social media teams can take advantage of buying cycle stages that connect the right employees with the right customers at the right time. The Consumer needs change when they are ready to buy, during the purchase, and after the purchase, so different employees are more helpful to customers at different stages.
How can an organization create a cross-functional social media team? First, you need to research and analyze existing social media. Who controls the official channels of the brand? What systems, policies, and employees are responsible for overseeing social media? From this research, organize a new system. Here is a simple process from the book published by Keith A. Quesenberry: Social Media Strategy, Marketing, and Advertising in the Consumer Revolution [Social Media Strategy, Marketing and Advertising in the Consumer Revolution].
1. Develop a social care team that can deal with all areas of social reporting efficiently and effectively. Identify the policies and software systems necessary for their implementation.
2. Organize the tasks of the departments in the social care team. D.Clearly define the roles and responsibilities between marketing, customer service, public relations, sales, corporate communication, human resources, etc.
3. Assign specific employees of each department for social communication tasks. Set up social media accounts and give employees access to social media systems.
4. Create brand guidelines for social media standards, tone, and style of communication. Ask legal and human resources to provide a list of do's and don'ts for consumer engagement in real time.
5. Define specific objectives based on key performance indicators, such as response time, sentiment analysis, engagement, views and actions, and other important parameters.
When companies implement a cross-functional team like this, the results are powerful.
In 2014 Hertz He went from a social media marketing strategy focused on a cross-functional system built around the needs and expectations of customers. Previously, the marketing department had controlled social media accounts. The staff of Marketing would post branded content, but they would also receive customer complaints. Email complaints would be forwarded to customer service agents, who then process the requests and email them back to the Marketing department for the response to be posted on social media. The Social media responses were limited to Monday through Friday.
For the new 24/7 multifunction device, Hertz partnered with software company Conversational to easily connect customer service agents with software marketers use to monitor social media conversations. The multi-department system has enabled Hertz to respond within 75 minutes to more than 1,000 individual customers per week. The company that now responds to customers in real time through social media has increased customer loyalty, contributing to customer lifetime value.
gourmet burger chain Five Guys, too, utilizes a cross-functional social team through Hootsuite social media monitoring software and a process that empowers local franchisees and frontline employees. Each of the more than 1,200 places where it is Five Guys You have your own social media account to market local promotions, new products, and events in your community. Individual locations also provide customer service by responding directly to customer feedback. For them, monitoring at the local level is more efficient, making one-on-one connection through social networks expansive, personal and candid.
Today's consumers expect more from businesses. They are increasingly looking at Companies that are engaging with them more online and the organizations are seeing real benefits. David Packard, of Hewlett-Packard fame, once said that “marketing is too important to be left to the marketing people“. For social media, this statement is as true as ever.
The article was initially published in English in hbr.org
