There is no denying that social media can be a powerful marketing tool. I spend a portion of every day digesting countless stories of how brands are embracing social media and impacting customer experience – good and bad. Reading about these interactions is one thing, but you don’t fully understand their potential until you actually experience them yourself.
I recently experienced the impact of social media on customer service while celebrating a friend’s pregnancy at P.F. Chang’s. I arrived to the restaurant a few minutes early, so I took a moment to tweet while I was waiting in the parking lot.
Chang’s Spicy Chicken happens to be my favorite dish, so I tweeted: “Heading to dinner at @PFChangs with my girlfriend. Hope her little bundle on the way enjoys Changs Spicy Chicken ;)”
Not really giving it another thought, we sat down to eat. I would say I order the same dish I mentioned in my tweet about 99 percent of the time, but on this particular visit, I decided to step out of my comfort zone, ordering the Kung Pao Chicken.
We were soon absorbed in conversation, but my friend couldn’t help but notice the two managers holding an 8.5-by-11 piece of paper and looking in our direction.
Not more than five minutes later, both managers approached our table, the first asking if I was Jessica Conner. Taken a bit by surprise, I was racking my brain to figure out if I’d met this person before. Nothing seemed to come to mind.
Reluctantly I confirmed that I was Jessica Conner, and just as I did, the second manager swooped in with a piece of paper containing a giant picture of my Twitter avatar and my tweet at the bottom.
“Is this you,” the manager asked me? I wasn’t sure if I should be embarrassed or flattered!
Noticing that I’d ordered something other than the Chang’s Spicy Chicken, the manager was sure to stop by a few additional times to make sure I liked my new dinner choice. And best of all, they bought us both dessert, which was equally as delicious. As we departed, they made sure to thank us profusely and of course mentioned to “keep tweeting!”
As both a consumer and a PR practitioner who is continually developing and implementing social media plans, I couldn’t help but spend the rest of the evening thinking about what had happened, and the impact it had on not only myself, but every other consumer that may experience the same situation. Not only did I walk away feeling empowered, I told my story to my friends, my colleagues, my mom and practically anyone I came across in the following few days. Talk about powerful brand messaging! And you better believe that if someone asked me where they should have dinner on Cleveland’s east side, P.F. Chang’s would have been my first response.
Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool, and while it’s a great way to push out information, it’s equally, if not more important to monitor what’s being said about your brand, and engage with customers who are acting as brand advocates. Their voice can not only be influential to other consumers, but quality customer service through social media channels can create a customer for life.
