For those that follow this blog, you may have noticed the recent addition of both a Digg and a StumbleUpon button. As someone with next to no programming experience, these additions represent nearly two days of experimenting with my blog's XML code; so if you ever feel like pressing either, that would be greatly appreciated! During my attempts to install the code, Press Release PR owner Danny Brown recommended through Twitter that I examine the Add This application; a fantastically simple tool which places a single universal share button onto a webpage. Unfortunately, by this point I had written so many of my own 'experimental' changes into the page's XML that each of my efforts to install the button onto my individual blog posts failed. I relayed my failings back to Brown via Twitter; but then a funny thing happened....
Shortly after my post, someone contacted me, offering to help me to install the application. Quite frankly, I was amazed. Although I have read several reports detailing proactive organisational efforts to address product issues, this was my first experience thereof. The individual, known as Thorpus, left a simple message; "Feel free to drop me a line and I'd be happy to help with your AddThis problems". Simple, right? Maybe, yet this is precisely the type of value that the connected consumer is increasingly demanding. Unfortunately, many organisations still fail to recognise that actions such as those taken by Thorpus really do influence consumer perceptions thereof.
There is no excuse for failing to recognise consumer concerns within the social media; particularly when tools such as Twitter actively facilitate the identification thereof. By simply acknowledging the concerns of the consumer and asking 'how can we improve?', the organisation paints itself as human; it demonstrates a desire to delight the customer.
All I can say is thank you Thorpus.
What are your experiences? Has an organisation approached you to address your concerns through the social media? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Shortly after my post, someone contacted me, offering to help me to install the application. Quite frankly, I was amazed. Although I have read several reports detailing proactive organisational efforts to address product issues, this was my first experience thereof. The individual, known as Thorpus, left a simple message; "Feel free to drop me a line and I'd be happy to help with your AddThis problems". Simple, right? Maybe, yet this is precisely the type of value that the connected consumer is increasingly demanding. Unfortunately, many organisations still fail to recognise that actions such as those taken by Thorpus really do influence consumer perceptions thereof.
There is no excuse for failing to recognise consumer concerns within the social media; particularly when tools such as Twitter actively facilitate the identification thereof. By simply acknowledging the concerns of the consumer and asking 'how can we improve?', the organisation paints itself as human; it demonstrates a desire to delight the customer.
All I can say is thank you Thorpus.
What are your experiences? Has an organisation approached you to address your concerns through the social media? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
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