Social media is gathering steam and a rapidly growing new channel for contact centers. Gartner states that "By 2013, at least 35% of customer service centers will integrate some form of community/social capabilities as a part of the contact center solution." (Gartner, Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Service Contact Centers, 9 April 2010)
When you think about incorporating social media into your contact center, it can be a frightening proposition. How do you skill for it? How do you scale? How do you train your agents? How do you keep up with developing platforms? Ultimately the best way to move forward is to establish a sound strategy and jump right in – even if only with your big toe.
I recently recorded a webcast recently with Scott Duehlmeier, a PR account manager at one of the leading agencies in Salt Lake, and one of the founders of the Salt Lake Social Media Club. Scott and I chatted about the role social media is playing in customer service today. We also discuss the four key phases to building a social media program in your call center:
- Monitor
- Assess trends
- Establish social media agents
- Learn and evolve
You can check out the webcast here. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, and how you are incorporating social media into your call center.
