1 Introduction
1.1 Problem Definition
The relevance of web 2.0 will increase enormously until 2012. This view is
shared by 83 % of the 110 companies that were interviewed within the scope of
a study carried out by the agency creative360 in cooperation with the International
School of Management.
Considering the economic circumstances companies face with respect to the
buyer’s market more and more effort has to be made to maintain competitiveness.
Supply exceeds demand, thus forcing companies to extend their marketing
activities in order to receive the consumer’s attention for both itself and its
products on the one hand. On the other hand, adequate customer service has
to be provided, which is inevitable for obtaining customer loyalty.
Especially in the field of marketing, traditional techniques of advertising seem to
have lost importance. According to the survey of the Monitor Economic Communication
in 2010 television is solely used by 20 %, whereas print media is
also used by only 60 % of the respondents.
Actually, these are considered as mass advertising, appearing rather annoying
to the consumers, likewise referred to as interruption marketing.
In addition, call centers or email support as point of contact in case of problems
are regarded as insufficiently available and requiring long hold time.
Due to the rapid progress of the internet a new communication platform has
been spooned – social media, the web 2.0. While there were 45 million of internet
users in 1997, the number is predicted to exceed 2 billion until the end of
the year 2010. Accordingly, what does social media explicitly mean, how can it
be used and which benefit can be generated?
1.2 Objectives
This seminar paper aims at giving an insight into the wide spectrum of social
media, proposing to demonstrate its remarkable influence these days.
With reference to best practices this seminar paper has the intention to verify
the necessity of integrating social media in business communication.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Problem Definition
- Objectives
- Structure
- Social Media
- Definition of Social Media
- Selected forms of Social Media
- Wikis
- Weblogs
- Microblogs
- Podcasts
- Social Bookmarking
- Social Networks
- Providing Customer Service by use of Social Media
- Corporate Blogs – best practice by Daimler
- Twitter Representatives – best practice by Zappos
- Facebook Profiles - best practice by Starbucks
- Best practice by Dell
- Dell Hell
- Direct2Dell
- Dell's activities' efficiency
- Dell's prospects
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This seminar paper explores the growing importance of social media in business communication, particularly its use in providing customer service. It aims to demonstrate social media's influence and verify the necessity of its integration into business strategies.
- The increasing relevance of social media in the context of a buyer's market.
- The effectiveness of social media as a customer service tool compared to traditional methods.
- Best practices for using various social media platforms (blogs, Twitter, Facebook) for customer service.
- A case study of Dell, highlighting both failures and successes in utilizing social media.
- The advantages and disadvantages of integrating social media into business communication.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction establishes the increasing importance of social media in a competitive market and highlights the shortcomings of traditional customer service methods. Chapter 2 defines social media and explores various platforms. Chapter 3 showcases successful customer service strategies employed by Daimler, Zappos, and Starbucks across different social media channels. Chapter 4 analyzes Dell's experiences, contrasting initial failures with subsequent successful social media integration.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Social media, customer service, business communication, web 2.0, best practices, competitive advantage, marketing, Daimler, Zappos, Starbucks, Dell, customer loyalty.
- Quote paper
- Linda Nguyen (Author), 2010, Providing Customer Service by use of Social Media Channels (best practices), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/183360
