Best SM Tool for Customers? Think Old School.

I recently heard an interesting interview with an executive from Zappos.

He was asked the name the most important social media tool they use to communicate with customers. He didn’t skip a beat and answered “The Telephone”.

What?!? An executive with the billion dollar ONLINE company, Zappos, said the telephone? He sure did, here’s why he’s right.

I checked out the website, www.zappos.com and found a company saying that goes like this:

“We are a service company that happens to sell ________.” Their focus is on the service… not the product. They happen to sell shoes, handbags, and clothing, but it doesn’t matter. What they’re really selling is service. And it makes sense for a service company connects personally with their customers any chance they get. Shouldn’t we all think that way?

They feel the same way at the Orlando Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. In fact, when CNTV’s VP of Sales and Marketing, Bill Peeper, was the president, they had a rule about connecting with customers. If you communicated with someone about an issue and the communication involved more than three emails…you had to pick up the phone and call them.

They understood the Zappos theory. It’s not enough now just to tweet our customers. Leaving them a post isn’t personal enough. Even an email doesn’t cut it. To keep the customers we have, and really understand what their needs are, we have to pick up the phone and talk to them.

Let’s admit, customers have been hard to come by in 2009, and there’s no guarantee that 2010 will be any easier. They are like gold, and should be treated as such. Don’t the people who are making your company successful deserve a phone call? If those customers are in the same town, they deserve a cup of coffe and a face-to-face meeting too.

I believe we can (and should!) meet people, network, share ideas, and market our products via social media, but when we communicate with our customers… It’s vital to “reach out and touch them”.