How C-stores Can Turn Social Media Interaction into Employee Action

Chances are that your convenience store chain has an active social media presence. Considering that the “big guys” like Wawa, Sheetz and Speedway have well more than 1 million followers, you definitely want to get in on that extra brand visibility, if you haven’t already. But being on social media is more than just posting your new products and promotions; it’s about being a good community member. And like any other aspect of your operations, it requires a good strategy. As part of their Social Media Awards, Convenience Store Decisions recently addressed the fact that studying the data of your social media following can pay off when it comes to promotional and partnership opportunities. Data can also help you to understand where your base customer spends the most time, so you can tailor your paid media accordingly to further extend your reach. It can also help you target the social media followers known as “influencers,” the people who share posts. Inviting followers to give their feedback on promotions, offering contests on social media and asking trivia questions are all valuable ways to engage your audience and ensure that visibility. CSD also discusses the benefits of being an “active listener” on social media. Again, using data can also help you “cut through the noise” of competing viewpoints over a product update or promotion. If you’ve made a decision to change a yearly promotion or pull a product, it could very well be that the complainers are going to be the most vocal. Not overreacting to the naysayers and taking your quieter social media followers into account is important, and data can help inform those decisions and essentially make your brand a better listener. However, there’s another important part of being an active listener, and that’s being an active responder.

Turning Complaints into Store-Level Action  

How does a convenience store brand respond to a customer complaint? A look at any Facebook comments section for an active retailer shows you plenty of “love” (great for sharing with your audience) and “hate” (wish you could bury it). DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT, delete negative feedback. There’s nothing worse than being accused of censoring customer feedback because it shows an unwillingness to address real concerns and improve your brand. Plus, no one likes being ignored or flat out rejected! To that point, streamline your interactions. Most convenience store operators with a regular social media presence are in the habit of asking customers to send them a private message with their contact information. The assumption is that the convenience store operator will offer the customer a coupon or discount off their next purchase. This can turn a negative interaction into a positive outcome that reinforces customer loyalty.

So once you’ve addressed an individual customer’s concern you can close the book on this interaction, right? Not even close!

Chances are that when you’re asking the customer for their personal contact information, you’re also asking them to provide the store number from their receipt. This is a prime opportunity to follow up with the store in question. For instance, if an employee forgot the bacon on a customer’s sandwich, you don’t have to play “Big Brother” and immediately fire off a message directed at that foodservice team. However, if several complaints are being logged against one store, then that indicates a more significant operations problem that’s worth addressing. With the right platform, you can follow up easily and, if necessary, in real time! With Zenput, it’s possible for a senior management team to take the social media interactions log, break it down by location and assign tasks to the regional manager and/or store manager. A senior manager may choose to start with a directive to the regional manager: “Multiple customer complaints about missing sandwich components at store #14. Please visit store and report back.” The directive would appear immediately on the regional manager’s mobile device and would remain an open task until they reported back. Upon investigation at the store level, the regional manager may find a staffing problem or an inventory problem. They could report this in their notes to senior managers, who might then ask the regional manager to address the issue and provide an update in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, in that same time, the resolution will be evident through a lack of customer complaints on social media. Assigning tasks creates a chain of accountability and improves communication. It’s also collaborative and supports teamwork. If a customer reports that a store manager or employee made their day, be sure that message gets relayed at the store level as well! Consider taking your social media interactions to the next level by turning comments into real action. Learn more about Zenput’s checklists, audits, forms and reports by clicking here.