What I Got From The Twitter Chat #custserv

I’ve only joined a few Twitter chats. I won’t dwell on general reasons why you should join a Twitter chat, nor the proper etiquette for hosting or participating in one, as that has been done well enough already here. Instead, here’s exactly what I got from a specific Twitter chat hosted by…well, I’m not sure what to call Marsha Collier, but here’s her Twitter bio:

Author 48 books: Social Media Commerce, eBay, Online Customer Service. Forbes Top 10, Futurist, Founder #CustServ chat, #techradio podcast host. StarTrek nerd

With assistance from others like Greg Ortbach, Roy Atkinson, and Al Hopper, Marsha hosts the Twitter chat #CustServ that focuses on customer service matters. Tonight (or today for me, since I’m in Hong Kong) some of the questions asked and answered included:

• What are some ways you say “Thanks” to your customers?
• Have you ever received a surprise “Thank You” from a customer? What was it?
• Do you have a regular “lagniappe” (a little something extra) that you give customers?
• Do you have a process for accepting thanks or praise from customers? How does it work?
• Do you give seasonal gifts to your customers or receive them?
• How do you say “thanks” to your staff? How often?
• How do you make your “thanks” personal?

Some of the takeaways I walked away with include:

We need to remember to send something regularly to our clients. It’s too easy to forget, let time go by, and never express appreciation.

• The standard handwritten holiday card, while appreciated, comes along with 50 others that are virtually identical. If you want to stand out, do something different and unexpected.
• Money doesn’t impress people. Clients are more thankful for a $10 t-shirt than a $100 gift card. They’re even more impressed by time, sincerity, and personalization. In other words, do something for your customers that takes more than a second or two, shows you truly appreciate them, and that you know them and you’re doing something based on what you know about them.
• When we receive “thanks” from our clients we need to remember to thank them for their thanks, and where appropriate ask them if we can use it as a testimonial on our website and other marketing materials.
• In the past we’ve sent out Groundhog Day gifts to clients instead of Christmas/holiday gifts. That way it’s unexpected, doesn’t get lost with all the other holiday gifts they may be receiving, and it’s more fun! I need to talk with my team about doing that this year.

Participating in a Twitter chat like #custserv is free. This one took an hour (but what a fast hour!) and I walked away with valuable next steps and met some great people. Join us next time!