Social media disasters (8 Nov, 2019)

[aardvark_admin]

This column is archived at: https://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2019/1108.shtml

Noel Leeming and The Warehouse are attrociously poor examples of how to use social media like Facebook to promote your brand and demonstrate a commitment to customer service. Their pages do exactly the opposite -- but nobody in those organisations appears to give a damn that they're actually harming the brand and losing sales by effectively advertising high levels of customer dissatisfaction and poor commitment to resolving issues.

By comparison, social-media-savvy companies such as Mighty Ape and Countdown Supermarkets are doing an excellent job of demonstrating that they do care about customer issues and their resolution.

How can NL and TWL get it so wrong and should shareholders be demanding some action?

[GSVNoFixedAbode]

Easy to see what's probably happened to both NL & TW. Some Bright Young Thing (TM) convinced crusty management that they needed to be on Facebook, set the pages up and did the first few posts. Then that person either left or (more likely) had their position retrenched, and the media role was passed to ol' Fred, who still quite hasn't figured out how to use these new typewriters with TV screens.

[Perry]

I agree that social media is a minefield for the uninitiated - most companies.

Further, I've almost 99% given up on "posting feedback," no matter who it is, as there's rarely any indication that anyone reads it, never mind does something.

I've experienced one or two exceptions and they were quite amazing.

That shows there are some NZ businesses who can do it right.

[jo2lo]

Doesn't it tick you off, when using a service from the likes of a franchised outfit, to be sent a 'survey that will only take 10 minutes'. And if you delete this request they will send you another a few days later, because you 'might have missed their request'.
For me it's the modern version of spam. Anyone sending these survey requests get unsubscribed (I never asked to subscribe in the first place except when they asked for my email address).
This might not be "social media" but its a pain in the butt to get hounded for a review when you've just paid out several hundreds bucks.
Perhaps the bill might be a bit cheaper if they weren't constantly getting your 'survey' data?

[Perry]

to be sent a 'survey that will only take 10 minutes'.

Perhaps the reply should be: ten minutes of my time will cost you 5 dollars?

Perhaps the bill might be a bit cheaper if they weren't constantly getting your 'survey' data?

The "you'll then go into the draw and win . . . " is another right turn off.

The problem with offering some incentive other than what's likely to be a pseudo-scammy 'lottery,' is that people will say what they think might earn them a reward, rather than the truth.

[aardvark_admin]

Wow... they just aren't listening are they?

Posted just yesterday to the NL Facebook page and totally ignored by customer support -- no response or even acknowledgement:

Charlotte Kiri Worst online service i've ever experienced. Don't bother buying online with them. I've ordered multiple things (this isn't the first time this happens now x3 times) and everytime it says 1-3 days shipping then you hear nothing ring and suddenly "oh we don't have it in stock" we are ordering it in, with no date of when it will arrive - no communication on the delay on your order. I need the thing I ordered in 1-3 days which is why I ordered paying for this shipping. If you don't have it in stock it's common sense to have it out of stock online. Terrible customer service everytime, when you ring too. Honestly my recommendation is buy elsewhere!

Seriously, WHO would buy from a company with so much consistently negative feedback on their social media page?