Where are you missing out?

Likely, you're missing out on the web. You have a web site - and you may even have a wonderful web site - but can someone go one-click-done to a solution/answer? Probably not. Even though I preach streamlined, simplistic web site design (having done a number of them in my day) it's not always enough to get people direct answers in less than three clicks. So what do you do to augment this?

You should have your customer/client interraction contact points set up not only as phone numbers and emails, but as Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, and perhaps even a Tumblr account. These social media portals allow you to instantly and personally answer questions while in a sense creating a legacy FAQ that people will see. Heck, you can even re-post your FAQ on Tumblr or Facebook accounts to help ease access to the information.

You don't have to make this a PR arm, and you shouldn't. Don't spam people with your Twitter, they'll stop reading. One of the great powers of social networking is that people can opt-out at any time, so you have to give them reason to read and stay put. In the case of a sports franchise, you can reach out to your season ticket holders with special offers, advice, and links to shortcuts that relate to them directly as STHs. If you're in an event venue, you can answer ticketing questions, procedural inquiries, and even things as simple as parking directions and locations. Don't be afraid to make it a multimedia presentation. Use a Google Map to help out, and make sure you pin some info on the place you're sending people. Link back to your own web site by all means. Use whatever tools are available to you.

What is even more important than your ability to respond is that you monitor this account and ACTUALLY RESPOND! You have to do this in a timely fashion, and keep tabs on things. This also means finding ways to monitor and organize. For Twitter, I use a program called TweetDeck, setting up search algorythms that tell me when someone talks at or about my account, and allows me to also search general comments about my business through use of hashtags. Once you have it sorted out so that you're able to make sense of the information flying around, you're well on your way to being able to monitor online noise regarding your company in a simple, easy manner.

Lastly, I completely and totally recommend that you keep it professional on your customer service outlines. As I mentioned above, no spam. But also refrain from personal commenting (that's what your own personal or business-persona account is for) on situations or events, even if they directly concern your team/enterprise. This isn't the place. Don't feel the need to follow everyone back on this account, in fact I'd recommend you don't. It will keep your one-page stream to just information you have posted and those who have publicly queried you. It will cut down on a lot of extra footwork and enable damage control if needed!

Hey, you're going to need a thick skin, people love their anonymous cloak on line. But by the same token, take your medicine, hear what's being said about your company and who the ringleaders are, and target them to be won over. If you direct your energy and efforts towards getting them on your side, that alone is worth its weight in gold - especially on line.