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Great Customer Service - Using Twitter!

I have a great story to share with you about how one company used twitter to make me (personally) very happy.. and when your customers are happy they twitter about you, and blog about you, and tell all their friends. Isn't that what you want? 

On Valentines day my sweet husband ordered me my favorite flowers, Sunflowers. We had grown increasingly unhappy with where we ordered them from previously, so he found a new company. (Obviously I knew nothing about this - it was a surprise) He found a company called SunflowerGuy and ordered me a beautiful, but simple bouquet. The arrive in a box (in a free vase) and open beautifully within a few days. I was most impressed with my husband, and with the flowers. On the Monday morning my husband got a phone call from Sunflower Guy asking if we were happy with the service and the flowers. He was impressed!

I noticed that SunflowerGuy was on twitter and so I started following him, and raving about his service. (I like to spread good news).. yesterday the FedEx man delivered a new bouquet with a message saying 'thanks for the twitters' - How AWESOME is that? 

I think companies that do stuff like that should be talked about - and they do some other great stuff- like donating 15,000 sunflowers to Scripps hospital. Thank you SunflowerGuy - you rock. Your service and your product are the best. 

Twitter, twitter, twitter

As I'm sitting here I'm watching my twitter feed, and absorbing comments from people all over the world.. One guy is at an Event Exhibition in London, and is telling us what is happening, a woman is discussing organic coffee, another is putting up motivational quotes. It reminds me of a chat room from the early 90's - only without all the idiots. Ok, so a chat room would have been empty without the idiots, but you know what i mean. 

I'm watching social media in action. The 80/20 rule applies here, like it seems to apply in every aspect of business. Except maybe not how you'd expect at first glance. 80% social, 20% business - it's all about people and making connections. 

Twitter allows you 140 characters to make an impression, it's great practice for keeping things concise, and still making an impression, you follow people, they follow you - sometimes you get a whole conversation, but many times you get just a snippet or two.. just like real life. This is the new face of business, people connecting, sharing their lives before they share their business. 

Of course, there are people that get it wrong.. "hello my name is.. please click here and buy this" - I'm guessing they don't get much of a response. I know they don't get a response from me. I'm watching and learning at the moment - and doing business the way I like it. I'm trying to get over my natural dislike of the terminology "twittering, tweets, tweeple, tweetups... arghhhh, you get the idea"

I just keep in mind these are real people, and many of the people that are driving social media. I'm learning from them, and so I will continue to twitter on.

and yesterday i got a message from Fern Britton (ok, you have to be British to know who she is, but it made me laugh) I don't know if she's the real Fern Britton but I have twitter spies on the case (I have no idea what the twitter code for spies is, but I'm sure there is one). There are lots of famous people on twitter.. some real, others obviously not, if that is your thing.. but more than that, there are lots of people creating a world in a new media, a social world where the rules are still being written. 

Read here for an update on the Fern Britton story LOL

Follow me at http://twitter.com/thatspeaker and lets connect, it's not just for the birds. 

YOU TWIT!

When I was growing up being called a twit was not something you looked forward to, I had a teacher that would use the word every time you got something wrong. "Oh Aileen, you twit", coming from a teacher it made you feel stupid (and was always said in front of the whole class).

twit

_{verb, twit⋅ted, twit⋅ting, noun –verb (used with object)}

_1.

to taunt, tease, ridicule, etc., with reference to anything embarrassing; gibe at.

2.	to reproach or upbraid.

The word 'twit' originally comes from the act of spinning cloth, and meant "a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning".

The reason i mention this is because this morning it came up in conversation "you twit, don't you?" and then we both smiled. A few years ago only birds twittered and tweeted and now people do. I love the way that words change meaning through time and usage, it keeps the language alive.

yes I twit.. and you can follow me @ http://twitter.com/thatspeaker and then you'll be a twit too.

It's all about people again.

I'm loving this whole new wave of "social media" - the internet is all about people again. People connecting and being transparent. I'm excited. 

Although when i started on facebook and twitter i was skeptical, I am now (publicly) announcing my approval. I have developed real business relationships, been inspired, learned ALOT. I am only 1 degree away from connecting with people who are experts in their fields. I have hundreds of speaker friends who keep me motivated and make me feel like part of something. 

It's about people again. WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO.