There are hints of spring time here in Colorado - achingly blue skies and temperatures warm enough this week to forget the jacket. Being a native of the state, I know intuitively to watch out for rock slides as temperatures rise and winter snows begin to melt. Water from melting snow can seep deep into the tiny cracks of huge rock formations, formations that have stood for thousands of years. The water then re-freezes, expands, and fractures the rock, causing it to crash down the mountain in pieces. The impact can be incredible - check out what happened this week - U.S. Highway 50 in central Colorado will be closed for a long time with 20 foot boulders covering the road for 100 feet!!
Consumers globally are connecting to each other, sharing information, forming and voicing opinions, making purchase and loyalty decisions, and social media is the pervasive catalyst. As we work with organizations on their customer care strategies, we're finding a common thread - the traditional organizational boundaries of customer service, marketing, sales, information technology, etc. are being challenged and blurred by the pervasiveness of social media and the consumer base empowered by it.
Recently I had the privilege of meeting Social Media Today's co-founder and CEO Robin Carey - we were on a panel together at Opus Research's Conversational Commerce conference in San Francisco. As our panel discussed social media and customer care, Robin asked me a great question about the role of social media in rigid, regulated verticals like government and health care. The question was a good one, and got me thinking more broadly about companies that might be more "traditional", silo'd, less open, less transparent just by their heritage, their culture, or their industry. What's the role for social media in these organizations? Where to start? How to progress?
During Opus' panel, moderator Dan Miller asked the question "Is Social another communication channel?" The obvious answer is yes, but more than another channel, social is a culture. Social is driving new levels of authenticity and transparency, and social is demanding thought and a deliberate purpose in communication and new approaches to customer care. The culture of social seems to be seeping into every organization we work with. The path it takes varies, and its visibility depends on many factors, but it's there, and it's growing. As we move forward, I'm excited to see the incredible transformations that will result. Not sure yet how things will turn out exactly, but the customer care landscape is definitely changing, and a few big monoliths might just come crashing down.
