Week 3A
As a business, it's important to notice when your customers are reaching out for help. One business that I have had poor communication with is Function of Beauty. This is an online hair retail business that sells custom shampoos, conditioners, hair masks and other products for your hair needs, a company that I regularly use. Unfortunately, this businesses only way of communication is via email. In some circumstances, such as a small business, having only a company email would be ideal. Function of Beauty's customers have grown substantially over the past 2 years because of influencers promoting their products. This is why it's important for Function of Beauty to realize they need another way for their customers to communicate with them. I have tried to reach out to them twice for a last minuet change, but their ticket wait is 4-5 days until you hear back. An example of why this is an issue is when I ordered my custom shampoo and conditioner and realized I charged the wrong card. I wanted to cancel my order before it had shipped but because you can only contact them through email, I had to wait 5 days to hear back and my shipment already arrived. Overall this made the experience negative but because they were so late to get back to me, they offered a 50% refund which did make me feel better. I know this companies intentions are well and I love using their products, so I will continue to invest my money in them.
With social media evolving, more businesses are starting to create accounts to connect with their target audiences. Social media can make communication easier between customers and businesses because it's used frequently and quick. For instance if you have a quick question that isn't under the Q's and A's on their website or social media page, messaging them on platforms such as Instagram or Twitter is convenient. Social media is used by such a wide range of ages that a lot of businesses now are using social media to communicate better with their customers. Typically when I reach out to businesses via social media, I get responses within a day or two. I think companies should invest their time and money into having an employee run their social media because with quick replies and a good customer experience, your expected to have high engagement.
I rarely leave a review for a product or business unless it's an unbearable. One example of when I did was when I stayed at a hotel in San Diego with a couple friends and when we came back to our room later that night from the pool, all of our cash had been stolen out of our wallets. This was a horrible and exhausting experience to go through to communicate with the managers and the hotel to resolve this issue. The only way I could communicate with them was over the phone, but the majority of the time the manager was busy and never got back to me. In the end, our money was never replaced and nothing was solved. My friends and I left a negative review for that hotel to warn others but sure enough, there was already tons of reviews warning people about this hotel.
If I had my own business and was using social media to promote my products/ business, I would respond to negative comments the best way any business owner could. I would try my best to resolve the issue the customer had or felt by listening and finding a way to satisfy them. Whether it's exchanging their product or even giving out a coupon, customers will instantly feel heard. It's also important to take into consideration the timing. A business shouldn't take days to get back to their customers because it leaves the customers more unsatisfied. However, if I was left positive comments, then it shows that I am going in the right direction and my hard work pays off. I would also always thank customers for investing their time in my business.
With social media evolving, more businesses are starting to create accounts to connect with their target audiences. Social media can make communication easier between customers and businesses because it's used frequently and quick. For instance if you have a quick question that isn't under the Q's and A's on their website or social media page, messaging them on platforms such as Instagram or Twitter is convenient. Social media is used by such a wide range of ages that a lot of businesses now are using social media to communicate better with their customers. Typically when I reach out to businesses via social media, I get responses within a day or two. I think companies should invest their time and money into having an employee run their social media because with quick replies and a good customer experience, your expected to have high engagement.
I rarely leave a review for a product or business unless it's an unbearable. One example of when I did was when I stayed at a hotel in San Diego with a couple friends and when we came back to our room later that night from the pool, all of our cash had been stolen out of our wallets. This was a horrible and exhausting experience to go through to communicate with the managers and the hotel to resolve this issue. The only way I could communicate with them was over the phone, but the majority of the time the manager was busy and never got back to me. In the end, our money was never replaced and nothing was solved. My friends and I left a negative review for that hotel to warn others but sure enough, there was already tons of reviews warning people about this hotel.
If I had my own business and was using social media to promote my products/ business, I would respond to negative comments the best way any business owner could. I would try my best to resolve the issue the customer had or felt by listening and finding a way to satisfy them. Whether it's exchanging their product or even giving out a coupon, customers will instantly feel heard. It's also important to take into consideration the timing. A business shouldn't take days to get back to their customers because it leaves the customers more unsatisfied. However, if I was left positive comments, then it shows that I am going in the right direction and my hard work pays off. I would also always thank customers for investing their time in my business.
Hi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you if starting out as a small business an email alone should suffice but once the business grows they should look into other forms of communicating as to not get slammed with so many emails at once. Now many businesses do hire people to run their social medias. Dealing with postings, coming up with content and replying to comments or messages.