I was asked to write an informal informational memorandum about how Amazon utilizes social media while communicating with its customers. I investigated related data and facts in order to assess the interrelation between social media usage and goodwill maintenance. Moreover, I was asked to identify if there are any opportunities to improve both communication methods and goodwill.
Subject
An organization can have everything to keep their business running: great marketing, perfect products, and passionate staff members. However, if it fails to interact with the customers, it will generally fail. Communicating with customers is critical as it affects not only brand perception but also maximizes ‘efficiency of online sales. Hence, social media plays a significant role in building and maintaining a loyal audience in the digital era. When adequate feedback is presented to customers, it may encourage people to purchase goods or services from the same platform again (Haridas & Deepak, 2020). Moreover, the word-of-mouth effect combined with viral publicity might attract customers who are not actively using social media. Effective communication can also contribute to the improvement of customer experience. When a customer feels valued by an organization, they remain loyal and introduce the brand to their families and friends. In addition, it provides a quick and straightforward feedback system for a company as they can ask the customer about their experience on the services and what they can do to improve. As communication may maintain healthy relationships with core stakeholders, it is a vital part of a business’s success.
A company that struggles to communicate and adapt to its customers faces a risk of losing them. Such an issue can be addressed by relying on diverse means of communication, including social media. Therefore, it may be highly beneficial to consider using different platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Some sources state that these three platforms provide the most effective communication instruments for businesses (Bacile, 2020). In addition, through these platforms, an organization will gain a competitive edge in today’s market. However, it is also critical to use these platforms properly and adjust social media content in accordance with Amazon’s mission and strategy. Another measure that an organization can impellent to improve marketing and communication is by thinking ahead. When customers ask questions, they expect to be answered instantly, and failure can lead to client loss. Thus, a business is expected to develop an action plan to respond to the customers’ issues effectively.
Facts
Amazon may serve as a prime example of a company that effectively relies on social media and uses diverse platforms to its benefit. Amazon Canada utilizes distinct social media platforms not only to advertise its products but also to directly communicate with customers and improve their experience. It provides valuable information regarding products, customers review, and manufacturer feedback. According to some sources, there is a significant correlation between social factors and the effectiveness of cause-related marketing (Choi & Seo, 2017). Furthermore, it may be essential to address the desire of customers to display their goodwill and adjust social media strategies in accordance with relevant trends (Choi & Seo, 2017). As Amazon is a transnational corporation, it may be challenging to introduce a comprehensive approach to ethnic and cultural diversity.
In some cases, Amazon’s social media services are highly effective as the company understands that the customers are located in different countries and may require an individual approach. For instance, Figure 1 depicts Amazon Help responses in three different languages. It may be highly beneficial to acknowledge customer diversity and introduce frameworks in order to address it.
However, there are also examples when Amazon Help fails to address the specificities of a particular market due to insufficient knowledge regarding cultural or historical background. For instance, Amazon responded to a customer that he is unable to watch Rugby Autumn Nations Cup as he is not located in Northern Ireland. Such lack of knowledge about the country, which represents the targeted market for the above-mentioned service, caused public outrage.
Another considerable issue is related to the limitations of services that can be provided through social media platforms. For example, Amazon is not allowed to access personal data via social media and hence is not able to provide comprehensive support. It may be essential to introduce additional services that may simplify the transition from any social media platforms to support services. Moreover, it may be critical to consider the possibility of allowing social media representatives to access accounts and help customers.
Data
I reviewed 100 most recent comments on Amazon’s Instagram regarding the last posts. Approximately 77% of customer responses are either positive or neutral. The other 23% of responses are customer complaints or requests for assistance with a wide variety of problems. Amazon is able to solve the problem and mitigate customer discontent in 35% of cases. Even though such results may indicate high efficiency, it may be necessary to introduce further improvements.
Feedback
Data collected from Amazon’s social media sites may confirm the hypothesis the Company’s approach to communication with customers is relatively effective. Nonetheless, there are several dimensions in which improvements could be made. First, it may be highly beneficial to form customer support branches in order to address the needs of diverse markets individually. Second, it may be critical to providing social media services with more opportunities to help the customers directly. Customers are frequently more confident in displaying their complaints or support requests on social media, as it increases publicity. Therefore, it is particularly vital to provide high-quality services not only to solve the problem of a particular client but also to maintain the brand.
References
Bacile, T. (2020). Digital customer service and customer-to-customer interactions: Investigating the effect of online incivility on customer perceived service climate. Journal of Service Management, 31(3), 441-464. Web.
Choi, J., & Seo, S. (2017). Goodwill intended for whom? examining factors influencing conspicuous prosocial behavior on social media. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 60, 23–32. Web.
Haridas, H., & Deepak, S. (2020). Customer perception towards networked streaming service providers with reference to Amazon Prime and Netflix. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 9(1), 513-517. Web.