Jessica Knowlton Bell, Social Media and Email Marketing Manager, Peach Digital

During Social Media Week, Peach Digital will be hosting an event which will focus on the effects of social media on customer service. We’ll explore how traditional means of customer service have changed in recent years with the rise of social media channels; how brands are reacting and protecting themselves throughout this shift, and what consumers can expect versus what brands can deliver.

But before we dive into all of that, why not run a little experiment of our own to see for ourselves, how much of an impact social media channels can have on your brand experience. Firstly, like any true experimenter we need to suggest a hypothesis. For the basis of this particular experiment, let’s say our hypothesis is: voicing a complaint over Twitter is more effective to consumers than using traditional channels such as the telephone.

Next, we need to prove our hypothesis. Find your favourite, big-name brand on Twitter, and engage with them. Tweet a comment, positive or negative, and see if and how they respond. Remember to let us know how you get on and the results of your experiment. You can tweet to us @peach_tweets or you can follow our Social Media Week event using (hash tag) #SMWcustomerservice.

Need a bit more information on Twitter before diving into your experiment?

Twitter allows for real-time interaction with real people, and that’s a good thing – a really good thing. Through Twitter, brands have the opportunity to speak to their market directly, in real terms. More importantly though, Twitter gives the consumer a chance to talk back with a brand and engage in conversation. At last! Twitter has bridged the gap between the business (brand) and the consumer, essentially humanising a company to its market.

More than just a platform via which brands and consumers can interact, Twitter has also leveraged real-time communication – setting a new standard for customer expectations. Many brands are acutely aware of the emerging shift in customer service and interaction, and are directing their marketing efforts (and budgets) to online channels. This means that the implications for a brand that does not respond to consumer inquires online are greater now than ever before.

If you want to learn more about social media and customer service at Social Media Week Glasgow, then join us at our event, but register soon as places are going fast….

Event details:

Tuesday 20th September, 2011
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Ramada Hotel Glasgow
201 Ingram Street
Glasgow G1 1DQ