I realize I’ve been discussing customer service a lot since 2011 started. The integration of customer service and PR in social media is such an enamoring topic, that I can’t seem to stay away!

As great as customer service can be through social media and real-time responsiveness, there seems to be a growing trend that puts a damper on the whole customer service aspect of social media. It seems that companies are relying on responding more and more to public complaints via social media rather than providing key customer service from the beginning or even responding to private complaining. I think the companies need to remember the customer’s satisfaction ALWAYS matters regardless if they blog about it or not.

I’m afraid that companies are going to start responding to complaints based on the complainer’s online influence as more and more consumers turn towards business interaction on social media. Do you see the same thing happening?

Fortunately, I experienced a bright light in customer service last night. My girlfriend and I wanted to grab a quick dinner, so we went to Chili’s (classy, right?) The meal was great for the price, but I am still ecstatic over the service we were provided from beginning to start. Our server, Tom was kind, prompt, and seemed to genuinely care about our experience under his services. I was already going to leave a nice tip for him, and then as he left our receipt he said, “It was great meeting you guys.”

Wow! I can’t remember the last time somebody offered that kindness in a restaurant. That one sentence just hit me. I added a couple bucks on to the tip just for that, and I plan on sending this post to their manager and corporate. Tom didn’t see our interaction as a consumer-business transaction, but as a relationship between himself and his guests. That is a powerful and revolutionary way of looking at business. Tom, the pleasure was all mine.

Even as business becomes more and more digital, businesses have to start thinking of their customers as guests. Its not easy, but I want to hear businesses say it was nice to ”meet” me whether our interaction was on person or in line. Trust me, if you’re a business who meets their consumers and builds relationships; as brief as they may be, your guests will come back to meet you over and over.

For a couple of days, I’ve been planning a trip up to Boston over my spring break to visit some of good friends up in Bean Town as well as get some interviews for PR TV. With all of this excitement, my #Follow Friday choice was easy.

I have to recommend Boston University student and Blogger Tina Yip. I became acquainted with Tina through Twitter earlier in 2010 (shout out to #prpillowfight!) and we met up a couple times for dinner while she was in NYC over the summer for an internship.

Each time we met, it seemed much more like an office brainstorming session rather than dinner between friends. The amount of intellect and ideas that were traded in those conversations continue to motivate and inspire me. Oh yeah, she helped me think of Tweet Drive…but no big deal.

Don’t take my word for it. Connect with Tina and you’ll instantly realize how smart and motivated she is to succeed in Public Relations, Marketing, and Social Media. Not to mention, she shows a great deal of her humorous and true personality through her Tweets. She is easily going to be one of the young pros/students to watch for years to come.

I interviewed Valerie Simon before she spoke at the PRSA NY HR event, and we got a chance to discuss #HAPPO, #PRStudChat, her awesome kids, and the changing PR industry.

This week’s #FollowFriday choice was easy and frankly, long over due.  I have to recommend one of close friends Kyle Harty.  Kyle is a recent grad from Penn State University and is kicking some ass in the Public Relations/Social Media world.

You know how we read stories every day about the job market and how its so tough for college grads to find work? Kyle has been a Social Media Coordinator at Neiman Group in Philadelphia since he graduated.  The way he got this job is even cooler, and you can hear him talk about it when I interviewed him and a past #FollowFriday recommendation of mine Jeff Gibbard for PR TV. (Shown Below)

Foward to the 8:45 mark to hear him talk about how he landed at Neiman

I’ve had the privilege of grabbing dinner with Kyle pretty regularly because we’re from the same area, and by just talking to him, you understand why he’s a rising star in social media.  While he may not be tweeting through out the day (due to client work), he clearly has the instincts and knowledge of the social media spectrum that will enable him to be a leading voice in the industry as he continues to grow.

I think one of the main things that sets Kyle apart is that although he doesn’t have his own company, he has an entrepreneurial approach to his career. He is always looking for ways to innovate and find new opportunities for him to succeed, and you can definitely see a entrepreneur mindset in him.

Like my other recommendations, Kyle isn’t someone you can follow in 140 characters.  Connect with him, learn from him, and I promise you’ll be a better communications professional or student.

His only downside is that he graduated from Neshaminy High School….

Interviews with PR leader and author Deirdre Breakenridge for my latest project Public Relations TV (PRTV)

On this week’s #PRStudCast episode, I had a great conversation with Deirdre Breakenridge and Valerie Simon about how the execution of Twitter’s #FollowFriday must be changed.  It’s intent is to recommend Tweeters to your followers because of the content they provide or even a personal friendship you may have with that person.  I love the concept, but it has lost its value because it has just become a mass weekly shout out that provides no depth or substantial recommendations. So, I am following the lead of blogs such as Spin Sucks and Jason Mollica’s “One Guy’s Journey” and dedicating an entire post to a Tweeter that I think you should all follow.

My #FollowFriday for this week is Jeff Gibbard, the Director of the Social Media Practice Group at Devine & Powers (hell of a name, huh?) in Philadelphia. I must disclose that Jeff has become a great friend over the past year, but I still stand beside the reasons WHY you should all follow him. Not to mention he also went to both Drexel and Temple!

I don’t mean this in any demeaning way, but Jeff is a social media geek.  Whether you read his blog, Social Media Philanthropy or sit down and have a drink with him, you will instantly realize that he lives and breathes this stuff.  He understands the aspect of being social and how to utilize the available platforms and technologies to his greatest advantage.

Not only does he understand the power of being conversational and social, but he also understands the numbers game in social media that many (if not all) of us are still trying to figure out.  There are metrics and measurements to social media that cannot be overlooked and I feel that Jeff is going to be a leading voice in 2011 as we do figure out how to measure our social media efforts a little more.

Jeff always expresses his admiration and respect for industry thought leaders such as Chris Brogan (Jeff’s man-crush haha) and Jason Falls.  While those guys are clearly a big influence in Social Media, I think Jeff’s understanding and utilization of Social Media isn’t too far behind Chris and Jason.

So if you’re going to do one thing this Friday; other than listening to the #PRStudCast and watching the first episode of PR TV #shamelessplug, go follow Jeff. He is a great conversationalist and is always willing to share and learn from the Twitter community. I must say, if you want to find out who the real brains of the operation is, follow Jeff’s wife: Ellie Gibbard!

You can also VOTEfor Jeff in the Shorty Awards!

Last week there was a great trending topic on Twitter going around, #Tweetstoyour16yearold self.  I thoroughly enjoyed the funny and heartfelt tweets that people were posting.  That concept got me thinking, what if 16 year olds and other high school students were active on Twitter like they are on Facebook?

If you are screaming at me right now, I totally understand.  It is a frightening thought to have young teens clutter up the Twittersphere.  I mean, I would hate to read what my 16-year-old self would have to say on Twitter every day.  However, there are some potential advantages.

Certain Brands would have greater success from their SM efforts

I’ve noticed that a lot of brands and public figures that cater to high school students are on Twitter.  However, their target market isn’t really active on Twitter.  Regardless of their follower count, I have to wonder, how much return are they getting on those relationships?  If the teens are not listening, are their efforts showing results?

Having teens on twitter would enable these brands and figures to see return on their efforts and tweets.  I think this strengthen a lot of business and consumerism in a time when it is needed.

Creative and selective education

One of the problems facing our public school system is the lack of creative learning and individuality.  Students are taught from the book, leaving them unable to expand on what its being spoon fed.

If these students where on Twitter, they would be able to see how much content there is to learn from every day.  It can allow them to find their passion or direction in their future.  I can’t imagine how much further along I would be if I was able to really explore the world of PR in high school.  Twitter could strengthen their education and have them looking much further than graduation.

In addition, these students could find mentors much earlier on, and be able to learn from those who are doing what they love, rather than just their textbooks.

These are just some thoughts I have.   Obviously it would be scary to have even more “Beliebers,” but there is a lot of potential for both business and the students themselves.  I guess the outcome would be on a person-to-person basis though.

What are your thoughts?  Would they be motivated to actual use the tools that Twitter provides? Do you think having high school students on Twitter could benefit the students and business, or would it just be another wasteland for our youth?

(yes, that picture is from high school!)

Our Guest Blogger Today is Nicole Raisch.  I reached out to Nicole to do a guest post and I’m honored to have her contribute! Nicole is a recent graduate from Gonzaga University, an excellent communicator, and is definitely a rising young professional PR.  You can follow and connect with Nicole on Twitter: @NicoleRaisch

-HK

LinkedIn is…

• A professional stalking tool for the job seeker – you can use it to learn about companies you are applying to and a detailed history about the employees who are working there
• Facebook for your business contacts – reminding you of who is doing what and where
• THE single most powerful networking tool on the web – you can learn more about the career you want to have and how to get there by effectively utilizing various aspects of LinkedIn

My point is: Many people don’t utilize the full networking benefits of LinkedIn. It is not enough to be merely “connected” virtually to random professionals – taking the tool to the next level will yield valuable knowledge and even more priceless face-to-face relationships!

How do you do strategically form face-to-face connections via LinkedIn? Follow these guidelines:

• Connect with anyone who went to your school and is working at a company you want to work at, is in the same industry as you in a city you want to live in or just looks interesting. The common ground of going to the same college will help ease the awkwardness. Additionally, grads just love to help other grads and will probably jump at the chance to chat about their college days with you!
• Ask your fellow university grads to coffee or lunch. Genuinely learn from them: ask them how they got where they are and what about their industry they love. Tell them your career dreams: where you want to go, what you are doing now and your current plans for the future.

A few conversation-starting tips:

• Why do you love working at ABCcompany?
• How did you arrive at your current job at ABCcompany?
• What do you like about the ABC industry?
• What advice do you have for a young professional like me?

Moreover, if you are genuinely interested (and you should be) they will offer to help you in whatever way they can whether that  is looking at your resume, taking you on a tour of their office or connecting you with their HR manager – always accept their help with gratitude and appreciation.

• Once you build enough college-generated LinkedIn connections, you can start looking through their connections and ask to be introduced virtually. Always follow up a virtual introduction with a call to action such as a phone date, a coffee meeting or a job shadow. Make sure to make your LinkedIn connections as PERSONAL as possible. NEVER EVER send the generic  ”I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” message – personalize it.
• From here, you should have grown your LinkedIn connections base enough to request introductions to people who have career paths that you would like to have one day within your current connections. Don’t be afraid to ask these people to sit down for coffee either. They were once in your shoes – ask them how they got to be successful!

These general guidelines are based on my face-to-face LinkedIn networking trial and error experience. After a year of coffee dates and dozens of LinkedIn messages, I have met with numerous professionals and asked them all the questions about their careers I could possibly think of. I feel more knowledgeable and more confident knowing I am heading in the right direction; I also feel comforted because most of the pro’s I met with were at one point in the same position as me: just starting a career and struggling to nail a full-time, permanent job. They have offered me invaluable encouragement and powerful advice. I hope the professionals you meet can do the same for you!

In conclusion, LinkedIn can be for you:

• A tool to learn more about your dream career and how to get there
• An opportunity to learn more about your field and the people in it
• A chance to meet some fabulous, knowledgeable and giving professionals who want to help you

Happy LinkedIn networking!

Now that Gap has gone back to its old logo, can we all agree that this was a publicity stunt? After seeing how everything unfolded, there is no doubt that this was a well-strategized and executed plan.   Gap is one of the most recognizable and reliable brands in retail.  As consistent as their company is, it is difficult for a brand to come up with a story or change that creates a new buzz surrounding their brand.  In came the change to their classic Gap logo.

While everyone was bashing Gap for the change and creating false Twitter accounts, I can’t help but picture Gap and the PR team who put this into play sitting back, laughing, and watching their plan take form.  Regardless of the opinions being expressed, all publicity was great publicity for Gap Inc.  Their brand exploded virally over night.

After analyzing this situation, there are a couple aspects that stood out to me that tell me that this was a publicity stunt.  First, look at the timing of the “logo change.”  We are in the middle of fall (the high season of fashion) and rapidly approaching the holiday season.  Gap is always consistent during this time, but now when people start to hit the mall as the weather changes and presents need to be bought, the Gap name is more than fresh in their minds.

Second, the new Gap logo is hardly new.  As I realized today while putting on a Gap button down shirt of mine, Gap clothing has had the new Helvetica font on their tags for longer than I thought.  The only difference was that the tags stayed true to the navy background.  People were up in arms over a big change when it had technically been there all along.  (Thanks to Jason Mollica for also pointing the logo out)

Now that Gap has officially stated that they will be sticking with the old logo, I must say job well done.  They created as much as buzz as the company has ever seen in one week without having to change their product, store, or brand.  Other than being seen online, I am fairly certain that the new logo was never printed anywhere.

Gap Inc. and the PR team behind this understood the power of social media and the Internet.  They created the conversation around their brand.  As PR people and communicators, we must understand the power of conversation and what it can do for a brand.  Creating the conversation may take sacrifice and controversy, but once the conversation has been started, there’s no telling how far it may go in social media.

I love Gap’s consistency, but now they have added a whole new aspect by making themselves a tech savvy and socially conscious brand.  They are either geniuses for the publicity stunt or they are smart for listening to their customer’s demands for the old logo.  Either way, Gap is sure to benefit from this, and will be an even larger player in the holiday market.  Christmas come early for Gap’s PR.