Build a Member-Centric Brand with Social Care

Service via social media can be more efficient and effective than other channels.

Want to improve member service while building your brand? Try “social care,” advises the consumer research firm Nielsen.

Good social care—answering member questions, responding to complaints, and offering solutions to problems via social media such as Facebook and Twitter—can set your credit union apart from its financial service competitors.

In social networking, where it’s easy—and common—for consumers to broadcast outrage or advocate for favorite brands, quality customer service can affect your reputation.

“The lines are blurring between customer service and marketing,” says Gadi Benmark, senior vice president of client development for Nielsen.

Companies that are adept at social care, according to Nielsen, are able to:

• Build a competitive differentiator;
• Convert disgruntled consumers into advocates; and
• Enhance marketing and branding.

In addition to operational efficiencies—customer service via social media is generally cheaper than traditional customer service channels—social care allows companies to influence the conversation and appease critics.

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