by Dan Gershenson
As temperatures in this part of the country reach epically historic lows and videos depicting Chicago as the ice planet Hoth from Star Wars go up, one of the more common things for a company to do is to keep their customers informed on social media of delivery status or whether or not they’re open for business on a day like today.
Hey, no problem with that. That’s just keeping people in the loop, which is the right thing to do. But I wonder if there’s an opportunity to go further that some could take advantage of to host a captive Q&A session via Google Hangouts or reminding them of some of your more “live” customer service mechanisms in place such as video chat or a dedicated handle for customer service on Twitter. It may be an opportunity to speak to how your team works remotely and seamlessly , even when sudden conditions force you to not be in the same place. Are there tools you use to protect your communication lines internally and ensure data sharing that may, in turn, be of use for your customers to know (me – I’m a Hangouts and Dropbox fan)? In the process, you’re sending a subtle message about your flexibility, culture, technological level, teamwork and – most importantly – being helpful. Not just the fact that you’re open or closed. This doesn’t have to be complicated or require a ton of internal coordination – some updates or images via social media may do the trick.
After all, you’re talking about a portion of your population locally that may be working today but may be more confined to their own home base rather than the office. As they’re hunkering down with their laptop and Internet connection to the outside world because nobody should dare set foot outside otherwise, they may be yearning to connect with some humans a tad more than usual so cabin fever doesn’t set in. It just might be the extra chance for your brand to shine brighter when the forecast calls for a high of -1 degrees.
How are you connecting or collaborating with your team and customers when conditions force you to physically disconnect? Chances are, we can all benefit from ideas to keep our culture and customer service warm.
The post Keeping Your Brand Warmer In A Polar Vortex appeared first on Caliber Brand Strategy + Content Marketing.