Focus

Social media have changed consumers’ expectations

As you probably know, social media and its related technologies are changing consumers' customer service expectations. Consumers are demanding more information more quickly than ever, and your company must adjust to remain competitive.

A recent article in Business News Daily, an online news source, says large companies have made it possible for people to immediately interact with them via social media, live chat applications and text messaging. As a result, consumers have become accustomed to expecting such treatment from all businesses—even small businesses.

Kirstin Ogilvie, vice president of corporate marketing for Thunderhead.com, a customer engagement solutions provider, told Business News Daily: "Customers are living in a real-time context. They expect real-time responses and answers. …"

Maybe your company cannot match the technological resources of a large company, but there are ways in which you can improve the customer service experience.

For example, including FAQ or help pages on your website can satisfy a consumer's need for immediate information. According to the article, "a thorough, easily accessible explanation of common issues and questions can greatly reduce the number of customer inquiries and eliminate some of the frustrations customers have with spending time reaching out to and speaking with your company."

Of course, hiring competent customer service representatives remains a priority. But now, these employees not only should be trained to respond appropriately to a customer who calls but also to a customer who sends an email, participates in a live chat, or posts a message on your company's Facebook page or Twitter account.

Jon Lal, founder and CEO of BeFrugal.com, told Business News Daily: "You're not always going to get happy people. It's your job to try to handle that. With live chat and social media, your responses are on the record, so pay attention to how your customer service reps are presenting the image of your company."

To read the Business News Daily article in its entirety, click here.

Ambika Puniani Bailey is editor of Professional Roofing and NRCA's associate executive director of communications and production.

More From This Issue

  • Working with wood

    When using preservative-treated wood, selecting the appropriate fasteners can be complicated by the variety of available preservative treatments that can corrode metal fasteners. You should be aware of options available for using preservative-treated wood and NRCA's current recommendations for using fasteners with preservative-treated wood. NRCA believes corrosion-related concerns outweigh the benefits of such wood and nontreated, construction-grade wood is an acceptable substitute for treated wood.

  • Resourceful roofing

    Union Square, a southwest neighborhood in Baltimore, is home to historic houses, commerce buildings, art galleries and artist studios. On the west side, Union Square Park showcases Union Square Pavilion. In 2012, Union Square and its pavilion underwent a renovation. Ruff Roofers Inc., Baltimore, was selected to restore the iconic pavilion, overcoming material availability challenges. Ruff Roofers earned a 2014 Gold Circle Award in the Innovative Solutions: Reroofing category for its work.

  • Tracking a trend

    Worker tracking software has been growing in popularity as an efficient way to manage off-site employees and increase productivity. The software allows business owners and managers to know where their employees are and how long they have been working. Worker-tracking software lets employers and employees communicate quickly so jobs can be completed on time or ahead of schedule, giving businesses the opportunity to become more cost-effective and profitable.

;