When Globe Telecom first launched its social customer care strategy, the company was focused on being available to customers 24/7 over social media. Soon after, Globe intended to take this strategy to the next level. That meant not only being where customers were, but involving customers in every facet of the business, including customer service; and not just by simply opening a forum for discussions, but by purposefully launching a comprehensive collaborative support program that would empower and recognize both customers and employees to work together to create wonderful experiences for each other. This was the vision that launched Globe Community. Globe Community had a unique approach to online customer service. Members were encouraged to provide solutions to queries, and they received recognition and incentives for doing so. Valuable information exchanged within the portal was easily retained for future reference. Since the content was user-generated, search engines automatically prioritized content from Globe Community among the top search results when people looked for answers online. The channel helped break the traditional communication barriers between Globe and its customers as well. Because Globe Community had many of the company’s employees as members, customers were able to direct their concerns straight to those who understood Globe’s offers very well. At the same time, Globe was able to gauge customers’ sentiment and gain important feedback from people who actually used and experienced its products and services. Putting information out on a platform as public as an online forum was a big commitment for any company, but Globe saw this as an imperative because nothing was more important for the company than maintaining a relationship built on trust with its customers. Globe Community inspired innovation in many ways and created a better service experience for Globe customers. Unified social customer experience To maximize the use of social media in providing end-to-end support to customers, Globe invested in several tools that worked together seamlessly, creating a technologically innovative “social ecosystem". This ecosystem included Globe’s official Twitter support channel @talk2GLOBE, which quickly set the standard for fast and reliable online customer service. However, Globe was able to handle only one case at a time on Twitter. Globe Community was also part of this “social ecosystem", and it allowed Globe to “sweep" all resolved cases from Twitter to the forum. Customers whose concerns were resolved on Twitter were invited to join Globe Community so they could help members who encountered similar issues, and many were happy to give assistance. New solutions were posted regularly, creating an online knowledge database, and customers could easily find the answers they were looking for, even for very specific cases. Non-members who explored solutions via Google or Yahoo! could also get answers within Globe Community, as search engines typically prioritize crowdsourced content when generating results. At the same time, @talk2GLOBE was able to use insights from the forum to resolve individual cases more effectively. Within the “social ecosystem," Globe Community created a converged platform for the retention of off-domain conversation (Twitter) and drove traffic to on-domain properties. It became a resource for providing quick and useful solutions that could help customers now and in the future. About 60% of Globe Community members and visitors said in surveys that the forum saved them a call to the hotline or a visit to a Globe store. Globe projected this would contribute significantly to call-center savings in 2014. Innovating with customers Customers could freely ask questions at Globe Community, and their posts were organized according to the line of business (postpaid mobile, prepaid mobile, broadband). The forum’s gamified question-and-answer process encouraged members to respond to queries, with active participants becoming part of the “solutions honor roll" and “thumbs-up club," and being given exclusive offers from Globe. Globe Community even developed superfans – everyday members who dedicated themselves to resolving customer issues and addressing concerns. Globe Community became a tool for Globe to gather real-time feedback on products and services. Whenever Globe had a new offer, customers were able to share their experiences in a matter of minutes. Globe could then make improvements on-the-spot, unlike before when Globe had to wait for post-mortem reviews and focus-group discussions to get feedback. Globe recently started tapping forum members for exclusive user testing, showing how the company valued the insights of Globe Community members. This also served as a reward for those who actively and passionately shared their ideas with Globe. By 2014, Globe Community had at least 20,000 members, 20 of whom were superfans, contributing more than 5,300 posts and 600 accepted solutions. Collaborative customer care The ability to crowdsource social Q&A and content effectively blurred the line for knowledge sharing, allowing even call-center agents access to customer-generated tips and tricks. This innovation went to the extent of shattering traditional customer service “glass ceilings" between customers and employees by giving them the ability to engage almost directly, cutting across communication and formal service barriers. As Globe saw customer service as a company-wide effort, Globe Community was promoted even to internal stakeholders. Employees were encouraged to direct subscribers to the online forum. The different departments were urged to include Globe Community in their efforts as well. Globe also maximized Globe Community by drawing raw insights from customers, and active members were regularly contacted for feedback and ideation. Internal processes were improved to include two-way communication between departments; thus, Globe Community got frequent updates on new products and services. Moreover, since feedback and action items from these channels were now regularly sent to cross-functional teams, the turnaround time in resolving open cases was greatly reduced. With Globe Community, customers found a faster and more convenient way of reaching Globe. The need to visit the store or call the hotline had diminished, as they could just post their concern online and go back later to find a helpful response. Bringing online and offline together The relationship Globe created with Globe Community members extended beyond the digital space. In fact, Globe made efforts to further develop its bond with members through meet-ups and special events. During the past year, Globe Community was able to organize three gatherings. The first was the official launch of Globe Community dubbed "CONNECT". Held in May 2013, the event was an opportunity for participants to see the faces behind the usernames and for Globe to reward the pioneering members of the forum. In August 2013, Globe hosted the Globe Community Superfans Dinner as a way of thanking the forum’s most active members. The dinner also gave the guests a chance to voice out their opinions about Globe, and share their ideas and insights on how Globe can improve its products and services. For Christmas, Globe co-organized a charity dinner with Digicon Events Management called StarServe. Proceeds went to the orphans of the Asociacion de Damas de Filipinas and the victims of recent typhoons that hit the Visayas and Mindanao regions. The stronger bonds formed in these face-to-face interactions manifested themselves in a richer, more engaged online community. One of Globe Community’s top members, notevenfollowed, said, “We have come a long way, but I do believe that we can still reach more amazing achievements. Together as one Community, I know we can resolve each and every concern that our members are raising." Moving forward, Globe Community aims to drive greater collaboration by introducing advanced gamification features such as missions and badges. With this, traffic and membership are expected to increase at least 20%. Together, Globe Community and @talk2GLOBE make Globe’s approach to social customer care unique in the world. This unique “social ecosystem" for customer care creates a venue for personalized, humanized and sincere conversations with customers over a venue that is transparent and democratized. Truly, this is a reflection of Globe’s values – one that is honest, sincere, and open.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ3fxW3ZLB4 http://community.globe.com.ph/community/welcome/systemblog/blog/2013/06/26/look-back-connect-first-globe-community-gathering http://community.globe.com.ph/community/welcome/systemblog/blog/2013/08/14/community-conversations-and-celebrations-over-japanese-cuisine http://community.globe.com.ph/community/welcome/systemblog/blog/2013/12/04/starserve-the-essence-of-community
