Businesses, Come Closer. No, Closer.
Here’s what I took away from PodcampNYC 2.0:
Doing 1 thing great > 2 things good > 3 things average…etc.
But how do you do one thing really great as a business? Start by listening.
Provide a space, physical or digital, for your customers to ask you questions, ask each other questions, make suggestions, complain or praise.
Then:
- Answer questions
- Thank people for their suggestions and look at implementing those ideas
- Apologize for mistakes or defects and fix promptly
- Humbly accept compliments
- Be quick
- Be human
Interact with a customer on their terms. That’s the beauty of the web. It is live and asynchronous all at once.
Be aware, when you do open up, you’re going to see some criticism. Some of it is probably going to be harsh and that’s OK. Take a deep breath. Respond politely and try to ease their pain. Imagine if you convert someone who really hates you. They’ll probably give you twice the respect and be a outspoken advocate.
So, what are some online tools to get you started?
Twitter (in practice with JetBlue)
Get Satisfaction (in practice with PBwiki)
