Opinion: The rise of the social web

Brett Waters, vice president Asia Pacific - South, RightNow Technologies talks to CRN about the guide and the rules of engagement that are essential for contact centres.

'RightNow Technologies has published "Customer Service Meets Social Media", a practical guide designed to help contact centres successfully incorporate the social web into their customer experience strategy.

The guide looks at the differences between the social web and traditional communications channels, how the social web can be used to improve customer interactions and support, and offers a list of best practices to follow when integrating this new channel into the contact centre.

The biggest social web question organisations face today is not if, but how, should this new interaction channel be incorporated into an existing customer or constituent communication strategy?

Most organisations already know that they should be listening, learning and, sometimes, acting on the conversations taking place on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

However, the main roadblock to success appears to be 'how' to do it.

The aim of RightNow's guide is to remove that block by providing tangible advice about social web interaction best practices in the context of delivering superb customer experiences.

The rise of the social web has changed the way organisations and consumers interact.

Conversations are no longer limited to a consumer and customer service agent, rather, external conversations about products, services and brands are happening constantly, in real-time on the internet.

In light of this shifting interaction dynamic, the study provides guidelines on how to empower frontline service agents to effectively engage in these conversations.

It poses a number of questions to help organisations get started on the right track and advises on how to develop a phased approach that incorporates the essential elements of; planning, listening, participation, evaluation and response.

The study then explains six best practices for working with the social web in the contact centre.

Specifically, these 'rules of engagement' detail the social web protocols and policy considerations that require attention if a strategy is to be successful.

For example, RightNow cautions contact centres to adhere to the behavioural norms for each social networking site, advising that the channel be used to engage consumers through the provision of brief, meaningful content rather than sales pitches.'

The report "Customer Service Meets Social Media: Best Practices for Engagement" is published by RightNow Technologies and is available for download at:  http://www.rightnow.com/resource-wp-social-contact-center.php