SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
PROVIDING VALUE TO NAVY STAKEHOLDERSAPPLYING CUSTOMER SERVICE TECHNIQUES TO PUBLIC AFFAIRS
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Have you ever heard someone ask, “what ever happened to good old-
fashioned customer service?”
In recent years there has been a perceived trend among businesses, governments and organizations to prioritize profits & agendas ahead of service to customers & stakeholders
Now, customers (in our case, our Sailors, civilians, and the public) demand more!
1980 1990 2000 2010
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
As public affairs officers, we have an obligation to inform the public about the Navy’s activities.
Now, more than ever, our stakeholders want to receive information in the where they want, how they want and in the way they want.
Social media can help you provide customized, swift & scalable service to Navy stakeholders.
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Why is social media a good customer service tool?Common customer service need
Guiding principle The reason social media works
I want to speak with someone directly
Authenticity, Honesty & Transparency
• As a best practice, social media tools disclose the person behind an organization, promoting trust and transparency
• Social media can enable a one on one conversation that takes place in the open, ensuring honesty and transparency
Show me you care / I want to be heard
Attention & Acknowledgement
• Social media allows for a more informal and caring tone of conversation as necessary
• Social media provides a platform for expressing one’s self in the open
You should know who I am and what I want
Personalization • Community members can choose to make information about themselves public such as their hometown, hobbies, and other likes/dislikes—this information can be leveraged to enter a conversation with some background and perspective
I don’t want an automated response
Customization • Social media is flexible and is best used to foster conversations rather than automated responses
I want a response NOW
Speed • Social media is a near real-time tool• With appropriate standard operating procedures in place, social
media enables quick interactions online
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
PERS-41 exercised the guiding principles of customer service by asking for feedback from fans
• Attention: Asking for feedback
• Personalization: Responding to specific questions with customized responses
• Acknowledgement: Recognizing comments and stating how the recommendation will be implemented
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
PERS-41 hosted live discussion during ship selection event, providing real-time support to participants
• Attention & Acknowledgement: Provided live support available via Facebook
• Speed: Facebook administrators were answering questions and solving technical problems in real-time through Facebook interactions
• Customization & Personalization: Responses were thorough, detailed and catered to the specific questions asked
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
NSA Mid-South provided outstanding customer service to Navy family members in response to Millington flood
• Attention: We care and here’s what we’re doing to respond to the crisis
• Acknowledgment: We hear your concerns and are providing the most updated information on that subject
• Speed: Response within 2 hours of specific question being asked
• Personalization: Comments responding directly to “Heather” who asked the question
• Appreciation shown for the quick, thorough and personalized response
Less than 2 hours
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Sparked by Sanjay Gupta’s (+1million followers on Twitter) response after performing brain surgery on Carl Vinson that “there aren’t enough brain surgeons in Haiti,” Pastor Shaun King organized a team of doctors trip to travel to Haiti, later discovering the only surgery center was on board USNS Comfort. Through Twitter, a frustrated Shaun King attempts to reach out to USNS Comfort to get the doctors on board. Both @USNS Comfort and @NavyNews responded on Twitter and coordinated a phone call with BUMED PAO directing him to the appropriate authority for his request.
6,500+ followers of @ShaunKing spread his plea across web
Speed via social media helps during crisis
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Get to know your tweeps better
Authenticity & personalization: Pacific Fleet hosted a tweet up on board USNS Mercy on May 8, 2010 in order to get to know their publics better, and show off a key Navy asset.
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Interact with your tweepsAttention & acknowledgement: Ask questions and engage in conversations.
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Answer questions for your tweeps
Attention: Even if you weren’t the one asked, step in to answer a question if you have the information!
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
Customization & information sharing
An employee at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & IMF needed information about leave. After interaction with command HR reps, she was able to get information she needed.
Peggy, Ferguson & Mike are all command HR reps empowered to interact on the command Facebook page
SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
How can your command use social media to provide better service to your Navy stakeholders?• Ensure that subject matter experts are comfortable using social media so
they can respond directly to inquiries on their topic• Develop a process for involving subject matter experts in responses on
social media – ESPECIALLY in emergency management plans• Consider the current processes for responding to inquiries and gathering
stakeholder feedback—Can you replace or augment this process online?• Make feedback, inquiries & your command’s responses public (when
possible) to leverage economies of scale and let your stakeholders know you hear them and are engaging online to respond
• Set expectations– Inform community members of the max wait time for a response– Direct community members to the appropriate channels to ask a question,
host a discussion, or simply share their opinion (these may be separate spaces online)