Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

One of the underlying foundations of customer service is communication. Without communication, like any relationship, there is build-up to the point of explosion. Blogs, along with a number of strengths, is one of the great open lines of communication available for a company and its customers.

One of the disciplines that a blog can add to a company is the opening up of its culture. What is the natural instinct of any human being when something goes wrong? It is the temptation to hide it; to cover it up.

A blog helps a company to avoid this approach by the very nature of what a blog is - a conversation.

In contrast to closing off lines of communication, blogs that are for the purpose of customer service allow a back and forth flow that allows a release of buildup and things being fixed quickly so that everybody is happy.

The great advantage of this is that the majority of crises being blown out of proportion can be handled here before they go viral. Thus the possibility of a problem exploding into a crises is vastly reduced and in a lot of cases completely eliminated.
 
Another great use of blogs is a very low-cost way of getting feedback about aspects of your business that are weak and need improvement. It can be in customer service, quality of your products or services or snags in your delivery system etc.

Because a blog offers immediate relief, things don't get so far along that it is a full-blown war between customer service and the customer. The result is that there is less stress for the employee because high-level confrontations are kept at a minimum. Not only does that keep the morale high but also increases productivity. This will result in lower turnover with your workers, replacement hiring and the resultant cost in training.

Even with all those advantages there is one more that comes about from the rest: Studies show that if you can turn around a customer's negative experience, that customer becomes the best word of mouth advertising you will ever have.
 
A blog offers input from customers that can actually give solutions to the problems that exist, which makes them buy into it. What better way to solve a problem than someone taking into account what someone offers as a solution?

Last but not least, a blog can take the fun out of a media frenzy. If you strike first with news, it is not a "breaking" story of "leak" that has been provided. If you reveal something first, it is no longer a scoop. This takes a great edge out of the bite of negative stories that could be blown way out of proportion.

Beginning a blog for the purpose of customer service should be something that take priority in that department. It gives relief and encourages you customer service staff and potential public relations disasters can be cut off before they take on a life of their own and spread everywhere.

Don't hesitate to begin a blog for your customers today. Your present and future customers will reward you for doing it.