Voice of the Customer and Web 2.0

Social media is all the rage these days, but some large company executives think social media is 'just for kids' and not a profitable business function to include in its plans. However, today's social media relationships that consumers have with businesses and brands goes beyond fun and games. Businesses like Comcast and Jetblue are using social media as a channel for customer service and unsolicited feedback. According to a March 2009 Nielsen report, about two-thirds of the world's internet population uses social media. With so many people using social media, it provides brands an opportunity for an additional channel to interact with its customers, provide marketing messages, provide fast customer service through a new channel and get unsolicited feedback from customers. What companies need to now do is take this information to a new level and take action on this information. This chart shows that consumers agree that they expect brands to participate in social media, especially to identify service and support issues. Companies that utilize the social media channel, and ultimately use this information to improve products and processes, will most likely succeed in the customer's eyes. This article provides more information on voice of the customer and web 2.0.