UPC + Social Media = Excellent Customer Service
At Akita, we love when companies look after their customers well. In the first of a two-part series, we look at the Irish cable and broadband provider: UPC Ireland (Now Virgin Media).
How to Use Social Media to Offer a Better Customer Service?
Keeping customers happy is a difficult task for cable companies. In the US, Comcast (Xfinitity) is the poster child for bad customer service but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are five lessons we can learn from UPC on how to effectively use social media to provide excellent customer service:
Maintain a Strong Presence on Social Media
UPC has a great presence on social media. Their Facebook page (Now Virgin Media Ireland) has over 77,000 likes and their Twitter account has over 19,000 followers and 40K Tweets. In addition to these primary channels, UPC actively maintains a presence on YouTube (Virgin Media Ireland) and the popular Irish discussion forum, Boards.ie.
Use a Single Twitter Account for Marketing AND Customer Service
UPC take responsibility for problems with their service, tackling them head-on. Often companies set up separate ‘customer service’ social media accounts so their marketing channel isn’t flooded with negativity. UPC addresses negative comments in the same Twitter feed they use to market to new customers.
Keep Your Social Media Channels Current and Topical
UPC’s social media pages are current, funny, and extremely useful. Rather than just new product offers and package deals, their social media pages contain interactive items such as the weekly giveaway and television programming notes. If you’re like me and have never bought a TV guide, this is extremely useful.
Actively Monitor and Engage Over Social Media
UPC are ever present and available on their social media accounts. Their staff are available on social media seven days a week from 9 am to 9 pm. The team is constantly tweeting to ensure people’s problems are solved. if you tweet them after hours (which I have) they respond to you first thing the morning after. Even if UPC can’t send someone to fix the problem until Monday, it’s nice to know that they are aware of it.
Be Professional at All Times
UPC does not rise to an argument. At times when customers are throwing abuse your way it is difficult not to react. UPC’s team always does extremely well in these situations and keep their customers’ best interests in mind.
Compare this to Comcast. Have a listen to the phone call that earned Comcast the title of “Worst Customer Service in the World”. The company’s customer service handbook even defines how agents are instructed to deal (poorly) with customers.
UPC may not be perfect—most companies aren’t—but customer service is a department where UPC are performing well. They take responsibility for problems when they are alerted and are understanding of customer problems. I hope to not have any problems with my broadband connection but if I do I’m sure UPC will be very helpful as they have always been in the past.
Related Articles
Best Customer Segmentation Software to Utilize in 2024
Understanding customers at scale has come a long way. Back in the day, companies used simple attributes to carve up their customer base in some way to apply different resources to support and/or expand those customers. Boy was it blunt though! Generally, it never got far beyond segmenting your account list by their spending or […]
Best Customer Success Software for Your CS Department in 2024
If you are reading this, you are faced with a real challenge. Either you already manage a customer success function and your existing toolset is not fit for purpose, or you have decided to start a customer success department and want to implement the right software as a solid foundation for your Customer Success Managers […]
Top Customer Retention Software to Reduce Churn in 2024
Figuring out the right customer retention management software to help manage your Customer Retention goals can be tricky. It really comes down to what your specific goals are, what type of market you serve, the customer data you retain and where that data resides. There are some specific types of tools you should consider. Customer […]
15 Customer Onboarding Statistics and Trends in 2024 to Note
In the SaaS world today, each lead you turn into a customer is a call for celebration. Still, to ensure them a smooth journey and success with your product, it is crucial to first help them understand how they can use your product or service effectively to get all the benefits they offer in the […]
How to Become a Customer Success Manager: All You Need to Know
Nowadays, it seems that acquiring each new customer calls for celebration. Yet, their choosing you over competition is merely the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as retaining them is equally, or usually even more, difficult.
Voice of the Customer Best Practices and Tips in 2024
When we aim to understand someone or something, the first step is to listen or observe carefully. The same rule applies for customers. If you wish to truly meet your customers and understand their concerns and goals, you must not only solicit and gather their feedback but also act on it. This is precisely what […]
What Is Product Discovery: Definition, Benefits and How to Do it?
Developing, launching and promoting a new product or feature is not only time and energy-consuming but also expensive. This is why frustration is inevitable if the new feature of a product goes unnoticed or unused. To avoid that, companies must first understand market trends and customer needs to be able to create products that address […]
What is Customer Stickiness: How to Measure & Increase it?
Although customer churn and retention are the most important metrics that help you assess the overall health of your business, they often fail to explain why customers leave or stay with you. This is precisely where customer stickiness can help you. To answer the question “What is customer stickiness?” with ultimate precision, we must thoroughly […]
Best Customer Success Books You Should Read in 2024
Customer success is the backbone of a successful SaaS business. The way your CS team manages and nurtures customer relationships often determines the size and quality of your customer base and, therefore, affects revenue and growth. A smart customer success manager knows very well that customer success is a dynamic and ever-changing field where continuous […]