When I think about transparent companies, the first one that
comes to mind is Zappos.com. Zappos.com is
an online retailer that is “Powered by Service”. The company is very well-known
for its ability to provide customer service and fast delivery. On Facebook, the
company has nearly 2 million likes and the timeline is incredibly active with
one or more posts in a day, almost every day (Zappos.com, n.d.). On Twitter,
the company has over 30,000 followers and over 12,000 tweets (Zappos.com,
n.d.). The majority of posts to Twitter and Facebook are positive, praising the
company and its ability to deliver orders within 24 hours of them being placed.
This concept is part of Zappos.com’s point of differentiation from other online
retailers, a focus on customer service. The website boasts, “We've been asked
by a lot of people how we've grown so quickly, and the answer is actually
really simple... We've aligned the entire organization around one mission: to
provide the best customer service possible. Internally, we call this our WOW
philosophy” (“About”, n.d.).
However, there are customers that are unhappy with
Zappos.com. A recent example of excellent customer service and transparency on Twitter is in
response to @TimVirgin’s tweet regarding the state of the box he ordered when
it was delivered from Zappos.com; “Hey @UPSHelp
If you didn't like my shoes I got from @zappos
just tell me, it's not the boxes fault. #shippingfail pic.twitter.com/VMbVNZXJ6j” (@TimVirgin,
2015). When you look into the tweet, the issue wasn’t even a problem with
Zappos.com’s service, but actually an issue for UPS. However, @TimVirgin
mentioned Zappos in the Tweet and a representative from the company responded, “@TimVirgin Yikes! Sorry this happened,
Tim. If you have a moment to give us call we can help” (@TimVirgin, reply, 2015).
Ultimately, @TimVirgin ordered more product from Zappos.com. It’s this type of
customer service that increased sales with this particular customer.
There are also companies out there who are not as quick
to respond to reviews and issues on social media. As Kerpen (2011) states, “Communication
is 50 percent listening and 50 percent talking” (Kerpen, 2011, p. 14). In the connected world we live in today, it’s
not enough for companies to just advertise, they have to listen to what’s being
said about them and respond. Without a voice from the company, it’s very likely
that customers’ word of mouth marketing (positive or negative) can influence
potential customers’ decision on whether or not to shop. One example in
particular is a company that is near my hometown in Milford, CT. My parents had
a terrible experience at Q-Gardens.
After their experience, my mom ended up going on social media and sharing her
story. In a search online, there are actually several bad reviews, including a
1 star overall rating for the company on Yelp
(Q-Gardens, n.d.). I know several people who stopped shopping there because of
the poor customer service, and opt for home and garden stores like Lowe’s and
Home Depot to find what they need instead. Without responses to customer
complaints, I believe that it will be hard for Q-Gardens, or any company for
that matter to hang on to customers. The example of Zappos.com’s activity on
social media is a great one, where customers actually state that they will shop
again because of the phenomenal customer service they received. In this day and
age, with so much competition it’s necessary for companies to be active on
social media.
References:
“About”. [n.d.]. Zappos.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015 from
http://about.zappos.com/
Kerpen, D. (2011).
Likeable social media: How to delight your customers, create an irresistible
brand, and be generally amazing on facebook (& other social networks).
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Q-Gardens. [n.d.]. Yelp.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015, from
http://www.yelp.com/biz/q-garden-patio-and-garden-center-milford?hrid=InW2QcfSvUeaJOFhyWtqjg&utm_campaign=search_listing&utm_source=yahoo
@TimVirgin. (2015, February 3). Twitter.com. Retrieved February
7, 2015 from https://twitter.com/zappos/status/562731831171514368
Zappos.com. [n.d.]. In Facebook.
Retrieved February 7, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/zappos/timeline
Zappos.com. [n.d.]. In Twitter.
Retrieved February 7, 2015, from https://twitter.com/zappos/with_replies
Hi Allie,
ReplyDeleteI looked at Zappos this week too and was so impressed by their corporate transparency on social media all the way down to the very core of the business. Researching them made me want to both buy from Zappos and work for them too!
You bring up an interesting example of a small business not utilizing social media to deal with customer service issues. I went to the Q-Gardens website in an attempt to check out their social media pages, to which they did not link. I clicked on the Facebook link on the homepage which did not bring me to the company's Facebook page but I think I accidentally "Liked" the brand with no way to undo the action. This is not the ideal customer experience even for someone just browsing. This is a great example of a small business that doesn't understand the importance of an active social media presence for maintaining their clientele. I think this is only going to get more and more important in the future.
Great post!
Brenna
Hi Allie,
ReplyDeleteYou and Brenna both chose to write about the great customer service and active social networking done by Zappos, and for good reason. The fact that Zappos would respond to a customer's issue that was actually UPS's fault shows just how much they do care about customer service. Even though it was UPS that mishandled the package, it was a package from Zappos, so they wanted to make sure they could still help if at all possible. That's definitely not common practice, but, hopefully other companies will follow suit when they notice how well it strengthens brand loyalty and brand image.
I've never heard of Q-Gardens, so I just googled them. There were two reviews that google showed off to the right of the browser. One said "Rude customer service." The other simply read, "RUDE RUDE RUDE RUDE RUDE!" You would think that someone at Q-Gardens would be doing everything they could to get those kinds of reviews turned around, and if they aren't, then they obviously have not yet realized the importance of social media in today's consumer world.
Hi Jeff and Brenna,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the replies! Brenna - I actually didn't even realize you chose Zappos as well until after I wrote my response! I think they are a shining example of customer service, and it really shows through their Facebook and Twitter activity. I especially loved the UPS example I brought up in my original posting.
I actually found it difficult to find a company that I thought was not transparent, as most of the companies I interact with on a daily basis are transparent in their communications with customers and on social media. Once I thought of a bad experience I had, I found it much easier to support the bad experience with poor customer service and poor communication via social media. It actually feels as though the two concepts (transparency on social media and customer service) go hand in hand quite nicely.
Thanks again for the replies!
Best,
Allie
Hi Allie,
DeleteI have personally never had any dealings with Zappos but like I mentioned in a comment on Brenna's blog, I've heard nothing but positive things and the company has come up on numerous occasions in the other courses I've taken in the IMC program. You are very spot on when you mention that transparency on social media and customer service go hand in hand. At times I think it can be hard to differentiate what is being transparent and what is simply be open and honest via a company's communication on social media.
I'm not familiar with Q-Gardens but it is amazing to me that a small business would lose sales to the big box stores simply by failing to be open and responsive to its customers. A lot of small, privately owned and independent businesses thrive off the personal relationships they've formed with their customers both in person and online. In this day and age, a lack of presence online and a lack of communication with one's customers could have a serious impact on the business itself.
Thanks for the post!
Cheers,
Russ
Hi, Allie.
ReplyDeleteYou know… I’ve never shopped at Zappos.com, but after all the great articles (and blogs) I’ve read about Zappos lately, I think it’s time for me to give it a try! Obviously a great example of how a company goes above and beyond to not only provide great service, but to be transparent in all aspects of their business on social media. Dave Kerpen (2011) talks about the most effective way to get customers to share your products and services with others is to have great products and services (p. 155). Zappos has definitely done that! And social media has made it easy for fans of Zappos to share the love.
As for Q-Gardens – well, 102 people liked them on Facebook and we know one of those was thanks to Brenna’s accidental like! They obviously haven’t ready to be on Facebook or any social media for that matter. As a matter of fact, until they clean up their “rudeness” they may not want to give too many people direct access to their page. They have some work to do. But if they will take the initiative and make some adjustments to their service (both online and off), then maybe they can build some nice relationships using social media. There’s certainly room to “grow!”