Join the [Private] Conversation: Skweal Steers Customers Offline

May 15th, 2011 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Newsworthy, Response

Skweal is a new company that aims to take all that negative chatter about your brand in social media and give it a private channel into your organization. The explicit benefit to companies besides keeping “negative feedback offline” includes real-time, on-premises comments, staff motivation and basic analytics. The implied benefit for customers is a more [...]

Zappos is Connecting with Customers

December 18th, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Response

Earlier this week, Rob Flemming and I had the opportunity to cross a long awaited item off our To Do list: The tour of Zappos HQ in Henderson, Nevada. Zappos has been an inspiration for us at Trustworthy for years. We’ve read Tony’s book and heard him speak many times. We’ve studied the Zappos Culture [...]

Legal’s Veto Power

November 21st, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology

Just when I thought I’ve learned all I can from Tony Hsieh, after seeing countless interviews and reading his book, Delivering Happiness, I’m surprised to find that he encourages his managers to seek advice on risk, etc., from legal but to then make the final decision based on what is best for the customer. As [...]

Interview with Aaron Kaufman of THQ, Part 3

October 26th, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Response, Social Media

We wrap up this 3-part interview with a big, ten-minute Part 3 in which Aaron Kaufman, Community Manager of UFC and WWE brands at THQ, tackles troll-management, community self-defense techniques, the importance of speed in response, and how to effectively coordinate real-life community summits. Aaron leaves us with some valuable words of wisdom for companies [...]

Interview with Aaron Kaufman of THQ, Part 2

October 18th, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Response, Social Media

In Part 2 of my conversation with Aaron Kaufman, Community Manager of UFC and WWE brands at THQ, we discussed how he deals with up to 400 comments per Facebook post, and when it’s appropriate to leave the public forum for more private conversations with individuals. But more importantly, what’s with the nickname, “Tank”…?

Interview with Aaron Kaufman of THQ, Part 1

Last year, I blogged about how some Community Managers seem to have tunnel vision when it comes to social media response. Aaron Kaufman is not one of them. He’s the Community Manager of UFC and WWE brands at THQ, a worldwide developer and publisher of video games, and he’s one of the best I’ve seen. [...]

Whose Facebook is it Anyway?

September 21st, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Social Media

So you set up a Page on Facebook for your company. How are you going to manage the content that people post on your Wall? Is it incumbent upon you to play by open, community rules and allow any and all posts and comments to run amok because you’ve deliberately created an outpost inside their [...]

Flashpoint to Motivation

September 16th, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Response, Social Media

A frequent complaint we read, while responding for one of our clients, is about a perceived “hidden” fee. We can easily imagine this flashpoint – it comes at the moment the customer discovers the additional charge, most likely at the point of payment or later, when the bill arrives. Reading one of these grievances, one [...]

Interview with Joshua Olayer of the Grand Hyatt Kauai

September 8th, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Response, Social Media

I’ve been vacationing at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for fifteen years, so in anticipation of our trip this year, I Liked the resort on Facebook and immediately took notice of their efforts there and on Twitter. Joshua Olayer, the resort’s Social Ambassador, was asking guests what they’d like to see on the Facebook page, snapping [...]

Consumer Motivations

August 19th, 2010 by admin under Customer Service, Methodology, Response, Social Media

Note: This post was written in support of my proposed SXSW presentation, Behind The Tweet: Responding to Consumer Motivations. If you like this post, please vote in the PanelPicker by Friday, August 27. Click here to vote. Treat the cause, not the symptom. From mental and physical wellness to sociology and legislation, it’s a truism [...]