Week 2 Part A: Communication Between Business & Consumer

    Dating back to the first civilizations, people had ways of interacting with each other through verbal and nonverbal communication. Over the years it became clear that communication is the key to forming successful and meaningful relationships. Through technological advances, we developed a way to connect online and take our communication skills to the next level. This evolution has only helped businesses when it comes to assisting their clients. This has also allowed consumers to feel better connected to businesses. 

     For a business that wants to be better at helping its customers, it has never been easier thanks to social media. Years ago, one would have to stay on hold with a company for lengthy wait times to simply get an answer for a concern. Now, by mentioning a company, customers are able to get quick and direct responses because they are being listened to. Twitter particularly has made it easier for businesses to resolve issues due to the utilization of the search function. By simply typing in the business name, a list of tweets that contain the name will pop up. From here, the company can reach out to these people and direct them through proper channels to get help. Facebook reviews are also a fast way to get listened to, especially if it is a negative review. 

    I've used social media in the past to leave both positive and negative reviews for different establishments and products. No matter whether the review is positive or negative, I always include the same three points: the date, my experience, and whether I would recommend it to a friend. I always include the date because it may better assist the company in identifying whether there was something they were doing at that time that was benefitting them or hurting them. Including my experience shows transparency and my perspective, which will allow potential readers to know what I expected. Lastly, I include my likelihood to recommend to a friend because this can help the business gain more customers, or allow readers to take caution. 

    The way a business decides to respond to their reviews is very telling in my opinion. If a business acknowledges the fact that their performance could have been better, it shows they care. If they choose to lash out at the reviewer, I view that as stubborn and immature. As with any set of data, there are bound to be outliers, and reviews are no different. While a reviewer may make outlandish claims, I believe the company should respond in a way that shows they want to reach an understanding. Personally, I would thank all positive and negative comments for their feedback as it can help my business run better. For negative comments, I would apologize for a poor experience, but encourage them to try once more to see if that experience was strictly an isolated incident. 

    Social media has changed the way businesses can interact with customers and it is all for the better. Not only can businesses increase transparency, but they can intervene before a potentially negative experience is passed along to the masses. It is no longer a waiting game for a customer's voice to be heard, but rather a quick and painless message. While ultimately it is the responsibility of the business to listen to their customers, many tools have been created to help ease this burden and streamline meaningful communication. As social media continues to develop and new platforms emerge, I am hopeful that communication will continue to be easier for everyone.