Cabela’s social media response plan was a mess: Someone posts a complaint, the social media manager takes a screenshot, e-mails it to the customer care team, the customer care team tries to find the customer in their database (and most often they don’t), then 72 hours later, the social media manager responds.
That social customer service system left two-thirds of their customers’ posts unanswered and a lot of people unhappy. But it wasn’t just dropping the ball on customer complaints, they were also missing big opportunities to build relationships.
In his presentation at SocialMedia.org’s Member Meeting, Cabela’s Social Media Manager Adam Buchanan explains the steps he took to revamp their customer service in social media and earn back the love of their customers. Here are some key points from his case study:
- Develop a streamlined process: The old system wasn’t working. So Adam hired more community managers and created a direct line of communication with two reps in corporate communications and two reps in customer relations. He also developed a crisis and worst-case scenario plan — something he says is especially important for a store that sells guns.
- People in your organization want to work with social. Ask them: Adam says that he broke the rules by recruiting 20 retail employees to help out. He says their expertise in the field and with Cabela’s stuff helped them keep their social media voice authentic and informed.
- Your customers’ content is better than yours: Cabela’s audience of hunters, fishers, and outdoor enthusiasts love to share their experiences with the company. Adam says once they “cleaned house” and learned to take care of their customers, they could tap into the that passion from their inherently social audience.
Watch Adam’s full case study in the video below:
Download slides from the presentation.
See more social media case studies like this from brands like Wells Fargo, Burger King, Toyota, and five more at our Member Meeting in San Francisco this Feb. 4 to 5.