What marketing gets that Customer Experience (CX) doesn’t

Both the Marketing and Customer Experience teams care deeply about the customer and the brand.  They are driven by data, surfacing insights and measuring but very rarely are they integrated or even sharing with one another. 

Odds are good that your Marketing department is already using tools to listen, analyze and measure social data. This is backed up by results from a recent Harris Poll* sponsored by Twitter. Marketing leaders polled revealed that 93% of them are using social media in their programs- from tracking their campaigns to measuring brand equity. 74% also reported using social platforms to perform some customer care

Over on the CX team, for the most part, if anyone is thinking about social, it’s an afterthought. According to a recent report from Forrester**, most voice of the customer (VoC) programs are still heavily focused on traditional data sources like surveys and missing out on unstructured and unsolicited data like that from social media platforms.

Does marketing know something that CX doesn’t?

Here are 3 big things marketers know about social media data that they need to share with their CX colleagues:

1. Social is what’s happening right now

While surveys continue to be the bread and butter of CX programs, by their very nature they are limited because they only measure a moment in time. What marketers understand is that customers are also providing a steady stream of feedback in real-time, and in the case of Twitter, that feedback is intentionally public.  Throughout the customer journey - people are signalling satisfaction, concerns, frictions, and conflicts through their social posts. They are not only expressing how they feel but why they feel that way. 

2. Social data is authentic (mostly) 

While not to suggest the CX programs aren’t collecting authentic feedback, solicited feedback like that from surveys and focus groups is limited and directed by the questions and topics. Marketers who employ social listening strategies are rich in unsolicited feedback. And, sophisticated marketers understand the nuances between the individual social platforms. For example, Instagram users may post inspirational content and strive to depict their best selves, while over on Twitter, customers are likely to share their unfiltered views on any and every topic - from the mundane to the controversial.

3. Social is great at surfacing unknowns

Have you ever been blindsided by unintended consequences from the introduction of a new product or service? Or been surprised when a competitor seemed to predict the future and capitalize on a new trend before anyone else? Marketers know that news often breaks first on social platforms and social data is often the bellwether of emerging trends and issues. By listening, they can insert their voice into breaking topics and identify and mitigate issues before they become a crisis.   

By tapping into social data and combining it with traditional data sources, CX practitioners will find themselves one step closer to a true 360 view of the customer. These real-time and authentic reactions to and experiences with your brand - good, bad and neutral, will empower you to shape experiences for the better and win approval and loyalty of your customers.

Are you ready to integrate social data into your CX program? First step - talk to your marketing team. Chances are, they’ve been waiting for your call.  Need more support? Visit data.twitter.com for case studies, a list of Twitter Official Partners or to get in touch with our team. 

*The Harris Poll, Social Media 2.0 How Social Data Informs Business Decision Making

**Forrester - The Top Trends Among VoC Leaders, 2019