Why Brands Should Respond to Customers on Social Networks

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Consumers expect companies to interact with them on social networks. Some companies see this as a hassle because they have to invest more resources to support their social media accounts, while others see it as a competitive advantage. Big-name companies like Zappos and Comcast have defined their customer services using Twitter. GoDaddy.com even uses the service to respond to customer complaints and questions.

When considering such customer service interactions, there are two factors to consider. The first is how responsive a company is to a consumer’s status update. If a company takes too long responding, then the customer feels like they don’t care and can probably solve the problem themself. The second is how helpful a response is. If the company responds and it’s not helpful, than the customer is unhappy.

To read the rest of this post, visit my branding column on American Express OPEN Forum.

Picture of Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm. He is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success (St. Martin’s Press) and the #1 international bestselling book, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan Publishing), which combined have been translated into 15 languages.

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