Recommendations from Yours Truly

My recommendation to any customer of a business that is unsatisfied with the level of customer service or level of service received is to to reach out to them on social networks. I've had the best luck with Twitter so far but have heard various stories from friends about how Yelp works well for this too. As portrayed here in my conversation with FedEx below. Back story: I had ordered tickets to a concert and paid extra for them to arrive on a specific date as I had to travel out of town to the concert.

After this, a FedEx rep personally called me to discuss my problem. Understanding my tickets would be a day later than expected delivery and useless to me, the customer service rep called up my local FedEx where the tickets were being held. She said the tickets were already loaded onto the next day's shipment truck but that they had someone pull them and I could pick them up at the location. Score!! I got my tickets and the problem was solved. This could not have happened without social media. I know this because I tried calling the FedEx location my tickets were at to try and resolve my problem before resorting to social media.

Social media's various outlets provide an awesome tool for getting things taken care of. Communication is key in any situation. Next time you find yourself in a predicament, I encourage you to give social media a try in resolving your quandaries.

Access Denied

While I think social media is an awesome way for consumers to communicate with businesses, I don't think businesses should solely rely on social media as platforms for customer service. Some people lack access to social media tools and this shouldn't affect if someone can receive information or give feedback about a company.


I love that I have the ease of communicating with businesses through social media. I do find it easier and more efficient than calling a 1-800 number or writing a letter. However some people only have access to a phone or writing a letter and not the Internet. This is why I think it's important for companies to focus on all avenues of customer service and feedback and not completely on social media.

Learning from Social Media

Social media has changed the learning game. Many educational businesses are online from classes to textbooks to tutoring. After many years of putting it off, I finally decided to take the one math class I needed in order to transfer to a four-year college. My mother, father, and grandparents all told me that I needed to go on YouTube and watch videos to help me understand math. Not one of them told me to read a book or get a tutor. 

YouTube while mostly consisting of entraining videos does actually provide an awesome laid back and at times entertaining way to comprehend difficult subjects. I believe social media has made learning more relaxed. Being able to watch teacher lectures online at my own leisure allows me to soak up more information and comprehend the subject at hand more so than if I was taking a class at 9AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Consumer Influence Power

As a consumer, you have power to influence how companies interact with you. Including influence over a company’s products and adjustments to how a company does business. The classic approach to a consumer’s influence over a company can be seen in consumer insight panels. A company can gain a lot of insight on how to better accommodate the consumer by getting a direct and non-bias response.

Through the internet and social media, consumer insight panels have become increasing internet based with sites like e-rewards.com or apps like Surveys On The Go, among others. The ability to link news about participating in these surveys and insight panels to a person’s Facebook or Twitter allows access for others to join in on the fun and help shape products and companies to better fit the consumer. 

Socially Active

Social media is a great tool for activism when looking at businesses. Most recently, during the Superbowl there was a Coca-Cola commercial that had ethnically diverse people singing the United States of America’s National Anthem in various languages. People were quick to take to Twitter in two distinct ways. The first group was angered at the commercial because most people in America speak English, so the thought of hearing America’s National Anthem in different languages was not welcomed. People took to Twitter in an effort to try and boycott Coca-Cola, seeing the commercial as being welcoming of illegal immigrants. The second group that took to Twitter, was the group that loved and embraced Coke’s “melting pot” commercial. Suggesting that everyone should be welcoming of each other no matter what background, advocating for equality among people.

The immense attention the Coca-Cola Superbowl ad of 2014 received on Twitter brought a slew of media attention. Social media and it’s various platforms, Twitter and others, are an excellent way of bringing about social or political change. The reason for this is because people feel as thought social media gives them a voice and when enough people make a sound, it catches the attention of national television news outlets and sparks debate.

Go Fund Yourself (Or New Business)

Think a business doesn't suit your needs? Think you can run a business better? Don't have the money to start said business? Go to Kickstarter.com! When a company or product fails to meet our expectations, it can be disappointing. Sometimes, you may even be able to think of multiple different ways you could do it better. This is where Kickstarter comes into play. This site is awesome for crowdfunding the start of your business or the development of a product.

Kickstarter recently hit 1 billion dollars in money pledged to start ups, individuals, and ideas. In return for pledging money to help start a company, a pledger gets items, discounts, or services in return. It's perfect for the person who is fed up with the any business and looking to create their own.

On a personal note, I love this site! I funded an awesome instant coffee company. I know what you're thinking, instant coffee sucks, but not this stuff. It's amazing for instant coffee. Jiva Cubes, check it out...

Web 2.0

I find Facebook highly beneficial for consumers. You can find many businesses on Facebook, as it is the most popular of all Web 2.0 tools. Sometimes, it's even more easy to find a business on Facebook than it is on Twitter. Facebook is great for communicating with a business when you don't think e-mail is an optimal choice.

A strength of contacting a business via it's Facebook, is that they you can do it privately or openly on the business's Facebook wall. Wether your comments are positive or negative, it is still bound to be seen and possibly seen by others. Facebook can be a very efficient and effective way in communicating with a business, engaging in activities and events with a business, or learning about a business. This is why Facebook is an awesome Web 2.0 tool.