Customer Service in the Digital Age
Providing poor customer service has always been dangerous for brands, but thanks to social media, the game has changed. Issues are now aired in the public arena, and the smallest whimper of discontent has the potential to spread instantly and become a full-blown disaster with an immediate and far-reaching impact. In our age of connectivity and social networking, the voice of the customer has never been more powerful. And whether you know it or not, your customers ARE talking about you online. They’re taking to their Facebook profiles, Twitter feeds and blogs to air their feedback, whether positive or negative. The question is, are you listening? Apparently not. A recent survey by evolve24 found that 71% of customer complaints remain unanswered on Twitter. Yet, consumers increasingly want to be engaged online, with 43% of consumers saying that companies should use social media to solve customer’s problems ...
#Geekish 4: What is NFC Technology?
As the number of smart phone users continues to grow at an incredible rate (Telstra reported that almost one in two Australians mobile phone users has a smart phone), a new challenge emerges: how can we use smart phone technologies to effectively connect and engage with consumers? With NFC technology, that’s how. In this version of Geekish, we give you an overview of NFC technology and how it’s changing the way mobile phone users interact with the real world. What is NFC? It stands for Near Field Communications technology, and is premised on short-range wireless connectivity technology. NFC allows users with NFC-enabled devices to collect data from another device or “smart tag” (an integrated circuit containing data) at close range. By tapping, waving or holding the mobile phone in close proximity to an NFC tag or device, the p...
#Geekish 3: What is Flash?
Flash. Isn't that what streakers do on the cricket pitch mid-game? Well, yes, but we're referring to a vector animation software that facilities rich, interactive content including video, games, presentations and advertisements in multimedia design that just aren't possible with HTML alone. In fact, you've probably encountered it before. Ever seen an animated, online advertisement or played a game in your browser? That's Adobe Flash, and it has spawned a whole new generation of fast, interactive websites and mobile applications. Who uses Flash? Flash is predominantly used by professional website designers to create high quality and lightweight animations, images and layouts to increase the visual appeal and interactivity of a site. When is F...
#Geekish 2: What is a CMS?
People love to abbreviate, especially by turning a series of words into acronyms. Whether it be to to simplify sayings or to just generally sound smarter, many of these acronyms leave people confused. For example: “OMG! Did you see what happened to the CEO this morning? OJ spilt all over him. I LOL’d so hard! TGIF!!” I expect most people to understand, or at least decipher that message. But how about this one? “We use a CMS to manage our website’s content.” Whilst a simpler sentence, this is probably causing you more grief! What is a CMS and how can is be used? A content management system, otherwise affectionately known as a CMS, is used to simplify the management of websit...
#Geekish 1: What is a web strategy?
Some things in the technical world of web development just don’t make sense (what is Java, can I eat it?). As a result we are undertaking geekish tutorials; where ‘geek speak’ is translated into English, so everyone can understand. Class starts now, and the first lesson is: ‘What is a web strategy?’ In a digitally dominated world, launching any online media without a strategy can be likened to walking across the street blindfolded; risky and doesn’t often end well. Web strategies are often overlooked and underestimated, but are quintessential to a successful online presence. A web strategy provides direction for a company. There is no stock-standard format for a web strategy, however creating one can be as easy or complic...
