I love social media. As a consumer, I love that I can give a public endorsement of a company where I’ve received great service; or I can [respectfully] pencil whip a company for poor service or product. I recently did both to Dallas -based Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.
Sub sandwiches have become a ubiquitous part of our eating culture. There are seemingly dozens of chain stores and mom-and-pop shops slicing bread and layering it with all manner of ingredients. One of the reasons I eat at Which Wich is the avocado. I love avocado and they serve the freshest.
But three recent trips totaling six to-go sandwiches – all ordered with avocado – proved fruitless. I was charged for the avocado but didn’t get it, so after the third time I voiced my complaint via Twitter and included Which Wich’s Twitter feed. It was a Sunday, but within minutes I received a Twitter reply apologizing for the service along with an email address to send the details of my visit. Monday I received an email reply from the manager of the offending store and Tuesday I received a hand-written note from the manager along with two gift coupons for free sandwiches. Needless to say, Which Wich is now my preferred sandwich shop.
A foundational implication of social media is that it offers consumers unfettered ability to either extol a company’s virtues or publicly thrash a company’s brand. Both happen on a regular basis and if corporate marketers and communicators aren’t working in tandem with customer services support, the consequences can be disastrous. However, get it right and your company can come out a branding winner. Here are three lessons you can learn from Which Wich Superior Sandwiches to merge your social media with customer service.
1. Monitor
No organization should think that because it has a Facebook page and/or a Twitter feed that it is effectively engaged in social media. Certain personalities and organizations fire Tweets off like they’re firing a Gatling gun, but they don’t pay attention to what anyone else is saying. Many don’t care what is being said about them. However, your organization shouldn’t wade into the social media waters if you haven’t accounted for how you are going to monitor the conversations others are having about you. Which Wich gets this. Someone monitoring social media saw what was a less than flattering Tweet and publicly responded (without making excuses) in a timely way.
2. Participate
Social means communal, or interactive, or interpersonal or whatever other word describes conversational exchanges between people. When people and organizations are constantly outputting Tweets and not participating in conversations, it’s annoying. It’s like being around that obnoxious person who talks all the time and doesn’t pause long enough to allow others to speak. Check Which Wich’s Twitter feed. You’ll see a constant flow of participation with followers, and that builds brand loyalty.
3. Respond
Negative comments and publicity don’t just go away in today’s world. In fact, social media presents the possibility they’ll escalate. Your organization has to respond. Have you designed your social media initiative so that it naturally connects with customer service? Or, is the person monitoring social media empowered to respond on behalf of the company to resolve a customer-service issue? I do not know Which Wich’s model, but the bottom line is a response came almost immediately and moved me quickly through a process to resolution at an impressive pace. Responding quickly sends the message to the audience that somebody is watching its social media and participating…so careful what you say!
Not every company gets it right all the time, but customers are willing to extend a significant amount of grace to companies who genuinely try. By its quick response, Which Wich received more than just my grace; it has since received my business.
What other companies do you know of that tie social media and customer service together well?
