Connecting With Customers Online – The BlackBerry Way

Baldev Solanki@bsolanki

The Changing Customer

Our customers are constantly changing. They demand direct, timely and professional service where they

congregate. They will promote or damage our brand by amplifying the positive or negative support experiences

across their social network. They will provide frank feedback if we are brave enough to listen and act.

Social media channels amplify this…

47%share positive brand

experiences online

40%have criticized a brand on a blog or social network

An Opportunity to Share Brand Experiences

86%of Millennials will share their brand preference online

Source: StrategyOne/Edelman Survey

<1%of Millennials would call customer service when seeking support on a

product issue

Source: StrategyOne/Edelman Survey

Support Via Multiple Digital Channels

96%of Millennials have joined a social

network – they are no longer picking up the phone to seek help

Source: Customer Experience for the Millennial Generation

“Customer service should not be viewed as a cost but as a powerful marketing tool”

Source: Zappos

Meanwhile, at BlackBerry

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Customers were changing

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These customers were talking about BlackBerry

On Facebook

On Twitter

On Forums

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So what did we do?

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Our choice: Join the Conversation

These conversations are going to occur whether you like it or not. Do you want to be part of that or not? My argument is you absolutely do. You can learn from them. You can improve your reaction time. And you can be a better company by listening and being involved in that conversation.

~ Michael Dell

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RIM Confidential – Internal Use Only

Benefits to Participating

•Reduce volumes in call centers•Build customer relationships and loyalty. •Defuse negative customer interactions •Help customers, help each other •Low cost alert system, and trend identification•Improved Product ideation

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Social Media can be a scary place

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• Empower our BlackBerry brand evangelists to support each other

• Provide users with self-service options• Reduce how-to calls • Learn from customers by gathering and listening to

feedback in online communities• Help consumers learn to use their BlackBerry and

become better users!

Identified our Objectives

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• Create guidelines for employee engagement • Define processes• Determine cross-departmental roles and

responsibilities• Marketing• Support• Recruitment• B2B / Developer Relations

Be Prepared

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Self-Service

BlackBerry Support Forums

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Help Blog

Corporate Blog

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Social Media

Customer Service

Twitter: @BlackBerryHelp

We followed a few rules

Don’t just monitor.

Listen.

Acknowledge that you hear the community.

Route issues, ideas, trends internally.

300,000+followers

Today @BlackBerryHelp Has …

And, is BlackBerry’s most popular Twitter site

600+average tweets per day

And …

And …

15full-time BlackBerry

staff

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just want to give a big thanks to the @BlackBerryHelp team for always being so helpful and responsive....you’re awesome!! :D

@BlackBerryHelp Not sure how your going to better yourselves! Your customer service already seems top notch!.

Shorty Award Winner

They love us!

We learned a lot from the community

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Cornerstones to Building a Community

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Find Ways to Delight Your Fans

Take it offline

Engage Users Directly

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Lessons from the trenches

•Pilot First•Talk in the language of the business •Measure success and share stories•Build partnerships Internally & Externally•Be prepared to be wildly successful !

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In Summary

• Advocates are an invaluable resource – they are an important part of your brand’s social media strategy and the secret to developing a successful connection with your customers• Listening is the key – you need to do it right in order to

create a meaningful network for your brand• Define your role and establish presence – participate in

their conversations and talk to them on their terms• Create a support system for your community – empower

and equip your advocates so they can become an extension to your brand’s voice

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THANK YOU!