Social media, when properly managed, can be a direct line to customers, opening a dialogue where customers' wants, needs, praise and complaints can be heard and responded to. Then why do so few companies provide their staff with the training to successfully participate on social networks?
Employees can Handle the Truth, Management Can’t
A recent research study showed that only half of employees feel as if they receive the proper training to successfully participate in social networks. Contrary to what Jack Nicholson says in "A Few Good Men," employees can handle the truth and senior management should as well. After all, how can you address your customers’ needs if you don't give them a chance to speak, even if it's online?
After working with some of the largest companies in the country, it’s clear that most employees desperately want to learn how to properly conduct themselves online as well as how to reach out to unhappy customers. They want to blog well, tweet responsibly and not break any Facebook laws so they can turn their “detractors” into Net Promoters, where they will change from stating negative comments about the company to recommending it to their peers and friends.
This should not be surprising considering 40 percent of companies hesitate to let their staff engage with customers online for fear that someone might say something negative about their organization.
Most Companies want Employees to Learn Social Media on the Fly
This is not the way to run a business. Social Media Training can help you and your coworkers engage in more constructive conversations online.
Why Is Training Important?
The Broken Window Theory: I was first introduced to this theory in 1990 when William Bratton cleaned up the streets of New York City by significantly reducing crime rates. He believed that without law enforcement, people would damage things, and if they knew they could commit these crimes without any repercussions, they would continue to break the law (and not just windows).
The same is true for un-moderated communities and social networks. So, it's important to have well-trained moderators working in your online communities and reading your blog comments. After all, it’s human nature to test authority figures.
You’ve Got the Whole World in your Hands: While everyone knows that mobile devices are increasing in popularity, people often forget that these are, what Peter Mass, ProPublica reporter calls, "potentially a gold mine of data-mining information for companies.”
The Internet Never Forgets: All you have to do is go to Waybackmachine.org and look up your company’s home page from the 1990s. If you work at Fortune 1000 company, it’s probably there; or you can start looking at your Facebook Timeline and see some pictures of yourself.
Those are just three reasons why it’s imperative for companies to develop well-thought out social media policies and training programs.
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Source : cmswire[dot]com
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