Customer Service for the Whiny Millennials

When millennials have something to complain about they take it to Facebook or Twitter. This outlet is so common in fact, that companies have actually felt the need to start responding to these complaints as a form of customer service. Today, social media customer service is a full blown job for people working in the field. If you look at the infographic pictured below, social media is a positive change for customer service.

Speaking from personal experience. I would much rather take to Twitter or Facebook to get in touch with a company rather than call an 800 number and wait a year for an answer. Below is my personal example of reaching out to a company with a very serious question I needed an answer to ASAP.

 

This is a great way to get a company’s attention because it is public and can start a bigger conversation. We know this, and so do the companies so they do their best to respond back quickly and nip the problem right in the bud. The last thing companies want is an uproar online about their poor service. Here are a couple of examples of how companies use social media as a customer service tool:

Ignore the bottom two tweets, but at the top you see how a customer is asking a company directly for help using Twitter. They even got a response back in a matter of minutes!

Companies even take to social media to stop problems before they happen. In the tweet below, Kendall was complaining about Comcast not necessarily to submit a formal complaint but a complaint nonetheless. Comcast responded back immediately to help so that they can try to help fix her problem.

This is important for companies to show a good face to the public. People like to see public conversations like this because they feel they can relate to the company better. Here, it seems like Bill Gerth is just another tweeter.

In some cases, companies like to have fun with their social media customer service. This is another way companies can find common ground and relate to their customers. People enjoy witty tweets from their favorite companies.

Funny.

Hilarious.

Even better, LOL.

Today, companies are forced to change their customer service with the times. Life has moved to have social media in almost every aspect. Businesses are learning to meet their customers halfway and give them the customer service they want.

 

Sources

• https://blog.twitter.com/2016/how-to-use-twitter-for-customer-service
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjdy7DToIjTAhVD6CYKHdXQCjQQjhwIBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.customermagnetism.com%2Fblog%2Fsocial-responses-rock-customer-service-social%2F&psig=AFQjCNGSiaUTM6kp0-rKau0vq7N4oVs-1A&ust=1491307808355994
• http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/exceptional-customer-service-on-twitter/
• http://www.boredpanda.com/companies-social-media-fails-twitter-funny-brand-tweets/
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwix_c34pIjTAhVDzSYKHaM9ChIQjhwIBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.socialfresh.com%2Fthe-secret-to-jetblues-awesome-social-engagement%2F&psig=AFQjCNEkXPOn7m1-Tp8FVdF4jlhdeWAhKg&ust=1491308900138005
• http://www.boredpanda.com/companies-social-media-fails-twitter-funny-brand-tweets/

Dating for the Digital Natives

As digital natives, teens and young adults utilize social media in all aspects of their lives including their love life. The group that is known for it’s digital savviness has completely changed the culture of dating. Teens and young adults have transformed relationships and dating thanks to their use of social media. Lets take a look at what dating looks like for teens and young adults in the digital age:

Meeting Someone New:

This step in the dating process no longer happens in a face to face scenario; rather a Facebook to Facebook one. People meet online these days and it’s not even weird. More often than not, this age group will spark new conversations through social media platforms before they even have a chance to meet someone in person. There are even platforms available just to do this. You can meet a date on Tinder, meet friends with Bumble BFF, and even meet dogs on others. These chatting apps have replaced the need to meet someone face to face. A feature of social media that makes this process so much different than old fashioned dating is the research that can be done. Before you even decide to say “hey” to someone, you can know their age, where they go to school, what their interests are, what  music they listen too, if they are a dog or cat person, and almost anything else you would like to know.

Getting to Know Each Other:

Again, for this step in the dating process, you don’t need to actually hangout with someone to get to know them. Social media has replaced this as well. You can do everything from texting, sharing pictures, expressing feelings through emojis, and even video chatting. If you think this is impersonal, think again. The possibilities are endless with the different kinds of connection that can be accomplished just through social media alone. You can voice chat by sending recordings of yourself, video chat on Snapchat, get to know each other through Facebook comments, and explore each others interests on Pinterest. This age group is so used to constantly communicating that they will spend all day communicating with someone over social media. There is constant connection happening through all of these different platforms.

The Relationship:

As time progresses in this dating process, the relationship will stay semi-online. Sure, by this time, the “talking” has turned into dating and there face to face contact instead of just online, but still the social media interaction does not go away. The first official time stamp in a lot of relationships is becoming “Facebook official”. This term has been coined to mean that the relationship has begun. Since social media is such a huge part of this age group’s relationship, it remains constant. There will be pictures of the happy couple on Instagram, Tweets exchanged, Life updates on Facebook, and Snapchat conversations.

It is no secret that this age cohort includes experts of social media so it is only natural for it to show up in every aspect of their lives including their love life. The traditional date is gone (possibly forever) thanks in part to these social media platforms.

Sources:

Lusinski, Natalia. “7 Apps Like Tinder For Meeting Friends, Because The Options Are Endless.” Bustle. Bustle, 04 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Digital image. Public Domain Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=136091&picture=man-and-woman&gt;.

Humphreys, Ashlee. “Digital Inequality, Age, and Social Class.” Social Media: Enduring Principles. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2016. 109-29. Print.