Does online search magnify the impact of customer service? The answer is a big yes, and this is the theme of my ClickZ column today entitled "Servicing Search: A Better Ad Model." Here's my basic argument. If you look across the landscape of search results for major brands -- especially in high-involvement categories like auto, electronics, or wireless -- you'll find that CGM related to "service" or "customer service" fills a big chunk of the search pipeline. Put another way, service experiences leave an aggressive digital trail, which in turn "echoes" back to consumers via search results. While the Jeff Jarvis meets Dell example is probably the most extreme and well publicized example of customer service bleeding into search results, this happens in smaller, more subtle ways all the time. Customer service is one of those issues that uniquely hits emotional chords, and emotion, we know, is one of the biggest drivers of word-of-mouth. What's critical for brands to understand is the degree to which their service operations -- whether through CSRs, 800-lines, or online feedback loops -- factors in the "viral effect" of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Just think about it: how much would you spend to ensure a dissatisfied consumer never took his or her case to YouTube? As I note:
"If you want a better, more inviting billboard when consumers search your brand, think hard about your own welcome mat. Remember, you are what they search."
Comments