1. DIGITAL TREND Publicis Modem
Bored with discussion boards – migration of conversation
Delivery of customer service has changed throughout
time, but has always strived to provide customers with
satisfaction before, during, and after the purchasing
process. Online support through discussion boards has
been a mainstay in customer service systems, but now
these destinations are becoming stale and un-able to reach
customers with questions. There has been in shift in how
people look for support.
Customers are moving their support related concerns
from discussion boards to social networks. This migration
could be considered a matter of convenience. When a
customer is searching for answers, they look for the most
convenient solution to their problem. Typing a question
into Google can result in two things; it will lead you to
a possible answer after a lot of digging, or you will find
a place where you may ask your question after a lot of
registering. This scouring experience is inconvenient and
consumers are leaving behind this practice behind for a
simpler solution – asking their friends for help.
This new trend of behavior samples the idea of crowd-
sourcing - Taking a task that is normally given to an
employee and assigning it to a large group of people Exercise your advocates. Brands can harness their advocates
through an open call. Looking for help from people in and use them as customer service representatives. These
numbers rather than specific individuals is reliable and advocates are already answering questions and sourcing
considerably easier for consumers, making it their first brand provided information for more complex problems.
move when seeking support online. The response time is quicker than if it were from an
employee and the advice comes generally from firsthand
experience.
How can this trending topic be applied? Watch and learn. Since these conversations are traceable
and measurable, brands can look at social support as a new
Create a social support destination. Because the source of information. Watching for trending support
conversation and questions have migrated, so must topics can allow companies to keep these issues in mind
a brands communication channel for support. The for the next product that launches.
discussion board or forum isn’t obsolete, it‘s just less
convenient. Keeping these boards open creates a source
of raw info, but the real interaction is happening within
social networks and micro-blogs.
January, 31, 2010