While some companies are waiting for their office lines, cell phones or emails to notify them of an issue or opportunity, they leave the social web untapped. In every industry, it’s imperative that the customer or client’s satisfaction is monitored, but lately I’ve begun to wonder why more companies aren’t utilizing social media as a tool to “customer-source” that type of data. Blogs, LinkedIn, and Twitter not only connect people, but also provide insight into current trends and hot topics being discussed by a company’s existing and target customers. While social networking has become an integral part of relationship building, many companies have yet to take notice of the intrinsic benefits those relationships provide.
Social media channels directly connect a company with its customers, allowing the company to reinforce its position as a thought leader in its field and bolster its presence in the market, while simultaneously monitoring customer feedback. Data is being created at an astounding rate and in the social media context, the data that is available to be monitored comes directly from the source: the unfiltered comments of the users. This “customer-sourced” data is rich with detail, and can often clearly delineate what a company is doing right and what areas may need improvement. With the variety of social media communication channels available, it could be said, “the Social phone is ringing.” The question then becomes “is anyone in your organization going to answer it?”
