Week 3.1A: Business Communication Experiences
Communication Fail
I can't imagine anyone has not had difficulty communicating with a business at one point or another. Most of us are not surprised when we make a phone call and are answered by an automated voice featuring infuriating prompts. However difficulty reaching a business has issues outside the corporate disconnect. Recently I wanted to see a play at a small local playhouse in Monterey, CA. The website was a mess. They sell tickets online but not for the same day show. Of course it says no where on there whether it's sold out or not. I tried to call, and was greeted by a recording that stated they only answer calls 4 days a week from 1 pm to 4pm. Honestly I did not even consider checking the social media outlets for more info or tickets. I recall stumbling across Facebook briefly, but it only announced the play and dates. I finally gambled it and drove to the playhouse, and the box office was open it it was not sold out. Definitely a communication fail on the business' part.
Social Media for Business Communication
I don't tend to check social media sites for business info, only if they lack a website. However, now I am thinking there may have been times were checking the social media outlets could have provided the info I was searching for. I have not actually tried to contact a business through any social media outlet. However, when I had my small catering business operated out the local VFW, I did have a Facebook account and very it the easiest way for customers to communicate with me. Customer would would instant message per-orders, questions about specials, events give feedback etc. I feel even my poorly run Facebook account brought me business and helped communicate my ever changing business to customers.
Review Response
I think it is important to respond, and more important a for a business to know how to respond to positive and negative feedback. I know that when I am searching for hotels, for example, I check reviews. If I am on the fence about it I will read the reviews. I find that I am generally more forgiving towards business' that respond well to both good and harsh feedback from there customers. It makes me think they care and they are trying. I will send my money on that consideration and effort even if it is not perfect. On the flip side if a business responds poorly, it is more damaging than no response at all and red flag go up. I think that business' need to realize that customers are smart. We can usually tell if a reviewer is way off the wall and had realistic expectations. We also know nothing is perfect, but accountability and effort to improve go a long way. Regardless of the situation, some acknowledgment and appreciation for the feedback and absolute professionalism and respect in the communication is vital.
I can't imagine anyone has not had difficulty communicating with a business at one point or another. Most of us are not surprised when we make a phone call and are answered by an automated voice featuring infuriating prompts. However difficulty reaching a business has issues outside the corporate disconnect. Recently I wanted to see a play at a small local playhouse in Monterey, CA. The website was a mess. They sell tickets online but not for the same day show. Of course it says no where on there whether it's sold out or not. I tried to call, and was greeted by a recording that stated they only answer calls 4 days a week from 1 pm to 4pm. Honestly I did not even consider checking the social media outlets for more info or tickets. I recall stumbling across Facebook briefly, but it only announced the play and dates. I finally gambled it and drove to the playhouse, and the box office was open it it was not sold out. Definitely a communication fail on the business' part.
Social Media for Business Communication
I don't tend to check social media sites for business info, only if they lack a website. However, now I am thinking there may have been times were checking the social media outlets could have provided the info I was searching for. I have not actually tried to contact a business through any social media outlet. However, when I had my small catering business operated out the local VFW, I did have a Facebook account and very it the easiest way for customers to communicate with me. Customer would would instant message per-orders, questions about specials, events give feedback etc. I feel even my poorly run Facebook account brought me business and helped communicate my ever changing business to customers.
Review Response
I think it is important to respond, and more important a for a business to know how to respond to positive and negative feedback. I know that when I am searching for hotels, for example, I check reviews. If I am on the fence about it I will read the reviews. I find that I am generally more forgiving towards business' that respond well to both good and harsh feedback from there customers. It makes me think they care and they are trying. I will send my money on that consideration and effort even if it is not perfect. On the flip side if a business responds poorly, it is more damaging than no response at all and red flag go up. I think that business' need to realize that customers are smart. We can usually tell if a reviewer is way off the wall and had realistic expectations. We also know nothing is perfect, but accountability and effort to improve go a long way. Regardless of the situation, some acknowledgment and appreciation for the feedback and absolute professionalism and respect in the communication is vital.
I really liked reading your post since you have your own personal insight on what it is like to run a businesses social media account and how you were able to communicate with your costumers.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I can relate to your example about the playhouse. I have had similar experiences and never thought of getting info or contacting the business through social media.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your experience of experiencing frustration with trying to read the website of a company that clearly needed to put more effort into their online presence. One time I went to the website of a California company that was advertising an upcoming Renaissance Fair, and I found their website difficult to navigate and devoid of the information that I needed concerning how much a ticket to the event would cost, and where the location for this event would be held. I think that local small businesses that might not have the money to hire a web developer or social media analyst might struggle more than big, well-known businesses with maintaining secure websites with the information that their visitors need.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that businesses that respond calmly to irate criticism from their customers ultimately make themselves look more poised and self-assured than businesses that scold customers for criticizing them. It's human nature to want to defend oneself against criticism, but it is not always smart to do so, particularly if one has to rely on those customers to generate more sales.