Customer Service and Social Media

We live in time of instant communication. Thanks to social media we can send or post messages and pictures, or share experiences within a second. Now, businesses are finding that social media is a new challenge for their customer service. In recent years angry customers have become increasingly more confrontational, militant and aggressive online.

Businesses are finding that even though social media has helped them register complaints so that they can make informed decisions to better serve customers, they're finding that it can also lead to outrageous, unmitigated abuse of customer service personnel, and cannot be relied upon as fact.

Organizations, stores and restaurants know that bad customer service exists, but recently more and more customers are coming in looking for a fights, wanting to post a scanting review, wanting retribution for an unknown or yet-to-occur transgression. Businesses have reported that today, it's not uncommon for customers to scram at a employee, to insult their intelligence, call them horrible names and even threaten to have them fired. They don't want resolution to their problem, they want to know their complaint resulted in the person being terminated.

Some angry customers have taken pictures with their camera phones, threatening to have them fired, and some people will post the photos with hateful commentary and even name them on their Facebook and Twitter pages. One employee even said a customer videotaped an entire conversation with a customer service rep on his phone. The customer posted it on YouTube with the rep's name, referred to her as "a stupid pig" and encouraged further confrontation from strangers. He tagged the large organization's Facbook page, so its members and co-workers all saw the video berating and humiliating the rep. It was quickly removed.

So many times companies have found online reviews of the organization and staff that include unfounded claims of racism and theft, reviews that are sexually explicit and overtly racist themselves and a good number are almost entirely false, based in the childish frustration that the customer simply didn't get his or her way, even when the demand was unreasonable and the customer was offered every possible solution.

I can't believe this is what some people have stooped to. I hope you are not one of them.

Scott Takes a Diet at Glass House in MOA

For the next month, a man will be living in a glass apartment at the Mall of America, to showcase his quest to eat better and exercise more on display for the world to see. The apartment is complete with la iving room, flat-screen TV and kitchen. Doesn't sound to terrible does it?, but, why is he doing it?

Yes, it does sound like a stunt of reality TV, but he's the focus of an unconventional marketing campaign from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MN, whose long-running "Do' campaign aims to show how simple activities can improve health.

More than 60 percent of MN adults are obese or overweight, costing the state $1 billion a year to treat diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other conditions, according to a study by the MN Department of Health and Blue Cross. The epidemic is a huge driver to rising health costs.

The irony isn't lost on him, but Scott, 45, said he doesn't want his last name made public for privacy reasons. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife of 15 months, a stocky golden retriever and a youthful Yorkshire terrier. Although he works as a self-employed actor who does voice-overs corporate events to make ends meet, he's not doing this to further his career or for the stipend he's earning from Blue Cross.

The 20-by-30 foot apartment is glass on all walls and has an exercise bike in it. He said he's got high cholesterol and is 40 to 50 pounds overweight. Putting his life on display for the Blue Cross marketing campaign means he'll have a team of nutritionists and medical doctors working with him to teach him better habits. He'll walk the mall and work out in his apartment. He'll shop for groceries, but also figure out how to make healthier choices at the food court.

Through the month, he'll be blogging, tweeting and sharing his thoughts on Facebook, all with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield branding. "This is like having a great big workout partner and having people try this with me," he said.

Blue Cross said that this isn't a contest where Scott will be expected to lose an unhealthy amount of weight. The goal is to find a few things he loves to do and find better ways to eat; it's more about him learning new habits that can last a lifetime, rather than making some drastic change that doesn't last.

Follow Scott on Twitter or Facebook by searching: thehumandoing

What Good Public Relations Cannot Do

Often I've heard about some one's bad experience with a PR firm that has spiraled into a strong dislike for PR people. It's painful to hear criticisms and generalizations about my business, but I can't resist jumping in to diagnose the problem myself. My feeling is that 95% of client-agency problems comes down to one thing: expectations. On both sides. Expectations for publicity outcomes, service levels and overall return-on-investment are not always articulated during the courtship, or even the negotiation phase of the relationship. However, many times clients have circled back later usually causing misunderstanding and disappointment. This has caused me to think about a few things that event the best PR programs cannot accomplish:

Replace a sales and marketing campaign. PR is actually a very unreliable tool when it comes to driving sales of a product or service. Yes, a strong publicity placement can make the phone ring, but a PR campaign more typically works to drive brand visibility and favorability over time. It's just not a demand generation tool.

Serve as as cheap or "free" advertising. A good way to look at the difference is like this, use advertising for frequency, but PR for depth. Altogether a good, social PR campaign usually has increased visibility as a long-term goal, it's very difficult to achieve an ad-like level of control and frequency with earned coverage.

Overcome a bad product or customer service. PR can help repair customer relations after a service interruption or problem, but unhappy consumers will always share their feelings, and social media is a powerful megaphone. What's more typical PR tactics like implied endorsement from third-party expert or celebrity can actually make matters worse if there's too great a contrast between the PR and the reality.

Make you famous. PR can help you build a brand or personal reputation, and raise your profile in professional circles, but it won't make you an overnight celebrity.

Cure a crisis. Most situations we term "PR crises" result from poor business practices, not faulty communications. Yes, a good crisis program will help you prepare for a problem or issue, and sound communications handling can mitigate its effects, but PR can do little in the face of unethical or shortsighted actions.

In Public Relations, Looks Aren't Everything (But They Sure Can Help)

Many movies hing on a simple wardrobe change as a transformation experience for a character. From My Fair Lady to The Devil Wears Prada, pop culture points to the impact of appearance. Public relations is an image business and how you look is as much your calling card as the one in your wallet.

Everything about how you look, your haircut to your shoe choice, speaks volumes about who you are and where you're going, whether you are consciously trying to communicate that or not. Usually, the safest way to dress is to stick with simple, understated clothing. Men should invest in a gray or black, light wool, two-button suit. For women, keep color, accessories and skin to a minimum. Basic shapes such as a wrap dress or a tie-neck blouse paired with a pencil skirt are sure to impress. Otherwise, a black suit is safe and professional way to dress for your business meeting. It doesn't have to be an exact match- there is no reason why you can't buy a nice blazer and wear it with a pair of chic pants that you already have in your closet. When in doubt, guys (if not on a job interview or uber-formal setting) should wear dressy khaki pants, a blue, crisp, button-down shirt and a good-looking tie. Bring a navy blazer. You can always ditch it at the last minute if no one else is sporting one.

Start by shopping your closet. Buy the basics and then add affordable, amazing pieces to mix in match with. There are tons of affordable choices ranging from online flash sale sites to designed collaborations with big box retailers including pick up some basic wardrobe building blocks. Consignment stops are great for accessories too. A good handbag can make a powerful punch in the style department.

In PR, looking the part is key to being able to communicate effectively to your audience. Consider your client, their expectations, the setting of the meeting and the purpose. This even matters when you're looking for a job. During an interview, you're evaluated not only for what you have to say, but what you're wearing.

Whether you are trying to land a job somewhere full time or freelancing, remember that companies will hire and promote people who help put their best foot forward in every scenario. No matter what you're doing, you are, in essence, the face of the company, so it's vital to pay attention to your style.

Charlie Sheen's Publicist

Charlie Sheen's publicist resigns respectfully after latest round of actor's media outbursts.

Veteran Hollywood publicist Stan Rosenfield who has represented Charlie Sheen through through the actor's rehab attempts and breakup with his employers on the hit sitcom "Two and a half Men," abruptly resigned on Monday.

"I have worked with Sheen for a long time and I care about him very much," Rosenfield wrote in a brief statement. "However, at this time, I'm unable to work effectively as his publicist and have respectfully resigned." In a follow-up e-mail, Rosenfield said he had represented Sheen for at least seven years.

The news came on the same day that Sheen turned up in another round of interviews on ABC, NBC, TMZ and elsewhere, attacking everyone from CBS to his father, former "The West Wing" star Martin Sheen. Since CBS and Warner Bros. decided last week to halt production on "Two and a Half Men" after Sheen attacked his boss, Chuck Lorre, the actor has gone on a manic round of media interviews. It's unclear what role, if any, Rosenfield played in setting up those interviews.

But, the public relations man was still working on the Sheen account Monday morning, when he dispelled an e-mail hoax that said Sheen had retired from acting.

As a fellow PR professional, I feel for Rosenfield. It's hard to work with someone who is not working with you, listening to your advice and setting up their own media relations efforts, spewing their own key messages - which in my opinion is sending Sheen into a downward failure spiral. Right now, Sheen doesn't care a thing about his own PR. He wants to do and say anything he wants and is not thinking about the repercussions. This is all fine and dandy, as long as Sheen keeps his fan base. Once that's gone, it doesn't really matter anymore if his TV show comes back or not. No one is going to want to pay Sheen the money required to keep his fancy lifestyle going. I wish him well.