Is social media the solution?

Social media has grown to a point where our congressmen are using Twitter to communicate with constituents, all major newspaper have blogs and many companies have Facebook pages.  Social media has become part of the required media mix.  It has also become a prime outlet for customer service.

The online shoe sales company Zappos has been famous for using social media, especially Twitter, to respond quickly to customer queries and complaints.  Twitter users look up companies they do business with and use the microblogging site to log complaints. Social-media savvy companies use these opportunities to correct situations quickly and publicly.

Social media gives everyone a forum that goes beyond ones immediate personal acquaintances. If you broadcast something on YouTube, many people have access to it. If you post something on Twitter, it can be seen by thousands and even millions of people around the world.  Companies cannot ignore social media, especially from a customer relations stand point. Instead, companies should view social media as a solution. Social media is actually a relatively inexpensive (the biggest cost is time) to be in touch with customers and potential customers.

Social media “guru”  Peter Shankman is quoted in the Maryland Daily Business Record as saying:

“Social media is nothing more than a customer service tool,” Peter Shankman, founder of the Help a Reporter Out site, or HARO, told a group of about 90 people attending a conference hosted by the Baltimore Public Relations Council.

Savvy customer service managers will take a look at how they can use social media to help reach their goals.

Are you using social media? If so, which one and how? Please share with us