Online customer service

Will the Tesco Bank attack dent trust in startup banks?

In 1997, UK retail giant Tesco launched a bank. “Our vision is to be the bank for people who shop at Tesco,” stated Benny Higgins, the bank’s CEO.

While Tesco Bank’s two-decades long history means it’s an elder compared to upstarts like Monzo, which led a record-breaking £1m crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, Tesco Bank has only offered current accounts since 2014, putting it in the growing category of upstarts targeting high street banks.

Seven guiding principles for implementing social customer service

One of the most important effects of our transition into the age of the customer has been the need for brands to differentiate beyond the price point. They have to have personality, be approachable and inspire loyalty.

Good customer service is the pinnacle of engagement, word of mouth and repeat purchase, and these interactions have been revolutionized by social media.

Instant messaging: An introduction to the future of communication

At Facebook’s F8 conference earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg said “(Instant messaging) is going to be the next big platform for helping you connect with all kinds of services in new ways”.

When you bear in mind this is a man who spent the best part of $22bn buying WhatsApp, you can be pretty sure he’s going to be right.

But where is instant messaging heading and what does this mean for marketers?

Do new features make Facebook a viable customer service platform?

Last week, Facebook revealed it is now home to 50m active business Pages.

So it’s no surprise that the world’s largest social network is working to make itself more business-friendly.

In August, Facebook unveiled messaging functionality for Pages to facilitate communication between users and businesses. A month later, it released updates, such as prominent call-to-action buttons, designed to improve the productivity of Pages for business use cases.

How to create simple brand tone-of-voice guidelines for Twitter

I’ve thrown together a very simple template to allow you to shape your tone of voice on Twitter.

It’s merely a basic form reminding you of what your brand stands for, alongside some examples of good and bad practice.

Consistent tone-of-voice is achieved with the occasional reinforcement of brand values and personality, and is something that most community managers pick up quickly.

What a Mexican and an Italian taught me about online customer service

It’s rare that I complain to a company via social, but when I do, like many people, I expect a quick and effective response.

We’re so used to immediacy through social media that it’s very easy for brands to trip up and fail to meet customer expectations. 

Dealing with customer service queries and complaints is a challenge for many brands, calling into question response times, how many staff hours should be dedicated to social, what the company tone will be, and how to answer within a 140 character limit.

What brands can learn from the Ashley Madison hack

Ashley Madison, which proudly bills itself as “the most famous name in infidelity and married dating” is at the center of what might become one of the most talked-about hacking incidents ever.

The hack and subsequent release of the identities and personal information of tens of millions of people seeking extramarital affairs online has brought embarrassment to outed celebrities and politicians, and is already being blamed for at least two suicides.

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