High Touch & High Tech – Foursquare for Customer Service
February 16th, 2012 by Stephanie
On February 9th, in the Mirage Hotel and Casino, I stopped for a bite to eat at Japonais. It was after 5pm and I had just finished attending a string of seminars and conference calls. Hungry and not looking forward to the long flight ahead, I just wanted a good meal. Out of habit and professional curiosity, I used Foursquare and checked-in as I had done so with every restaurant visited during my trip.
The meal was as delicious. The service was superb. I was pleased. The waitress brought the check. Not in a rush, I took my time. Not more than five minutes after receiving the check, a man came by and introduced himself as the manager. Christopher Chandler. He thanked me for checking in to his restaurant and voiced his excitement over social media. He then displayed a new check. He had discounted my meal 25%. I briefly shared about my profession; we spoke a bit and exchanged cards.
The waitress came back and explained that her manager recognized me from the Foursquare photo and they check their social properties often. The Japonais General Manager, Christopher Chandler, takes social media seriously and he oversees much of it personally. He understands, seemingly more than the other restaurants I had visited, that social media, at its best, is about cultivating relationships. It is not technology void of emotion but rather technology that serves to arm us with the information necessary to build the type of relationships that would be impossible if we were not informed.
After such a great experience, I liked the Japonais Facebook page and wrote a review. I posted a photo of my meal online with a comment and graded them highly on different social networks. Most of Japonais’ diners are not likely to return frequently. They’re not all prime candidates for Foursquare mayorships. That doesn’t matter. Everyone is ripe for great customer service. Chandler’s marriage of high touch and high tech will undoubtedly have positive impact on the bottom line as referrals and praise stream in from satisfied customers. How many clients guarantee you, as I did Chandler, that they’ll write a review and recommend your business? As companies work to determine what KPIs are important for social, one key performing indicator that shouldn’t be forgotten is customer satisfaction as evidenced by positive word of mouth.
Tags: customer service, discount, facebook, foursquare, japonais, las vegas, mirage, restaurant, word of mouth
Categories: Blog, Food & Cooking, M80 Intelligence, Social Media Strategy