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This is a variation of our standard Inbound Industry Report, taking a deep dive into one hot topic from the second week of 2012—the convergence of PR and customer service driven by social media. Stay tuned for an overview of last week's other big news: Google Search Plus Your World.

In the wake of the N-Control customer-service-turned-PR disaster, last week shined light on three more companies that faced PR issues driven by social media mishaps. Quick overviews: 

• Boners BBQ — Customer writes negative (but honest and well thought-out) review on Yelp. Restaurant reacts with derogatory postings about the woman on its Facebook page. Note: language and photos may be offensive to some. Boners eventually apologizes, but sincerity is questioned. Read the play-by-play commentary, along with some “food for thought,” from Scott Stratten (@unmarketing).
• Papa Johns — Employee prints a derogatory “nickname” on a customer receipt. (Source) Customer posts picture of the receipt to Twitter. Papa Johns spends a few days apologizing to the Twitterverse, all for the actions of a single employee at one of its 2,600+ locations.
• FedEx — Customer posts video on YouTube of delivery guy throwing a computer monitor over his fence, rather than ringing a bell to be let in. FedEx VP of US Operations responds within two days with a blog post and his own video, apologizing for the incident. (Source)

As Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich) pointed out, specifically in regard to the first two incidents above: “Neither one of these things are public relations issues. They both are culture, HR, and operations issues. But they both became public relations crisis because their customers now have this thing called social media at their disposal.” 

And we can only expect to see more of this in the future.

In fact, a recent report by customer care outsourcing provider Sitel found that:

• Consumers—particularly those in Gen Y and beyond—demand customer service through social media. Fifteen percent of 16-24 year olds prefer the medium for customer service relations, and 7% of this demographic send social media complaints as the first step when facing a problem.
• In addition, 57% of all consumers surveyed reported that when they have a problem, they first search for a solution online before reaching out directly to the brand for assistance.
• Note: Data is based on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers in Great Britain, aged 16-64.

Key Takeaway: Corporate social media savvy goes beyond marketing. Hold a social media forum, training session or workshop with key players in your organization across departments todiscuss its impact on the entire business. Here are a few suggestions for your baseline corporate social media needs: 

• Develop a social media policy with clearly defined rules, expectations and enforcement.
• Use listening/monitoring tools to catch brand mentions, stay abreast of industry news and trends, and better understand your audience.
• Define customer service policies and response times.
• Develop a crisis communications/PR plan for social media.
• Define ownership of the company voice through social media, including corporate accounts and employee representatives that can speak on the company’s behalf.
• Don’t be robotic. While policies and procedures are necessary, remember that individual experiences are unique, and in some cases deviation from “the norm” is needed to make an impact or fix a sticky situation.

For more on this topic:

• See Janet Cho’s (@janetcho) article on how to manage a social media complaint before it turns into a crisis.
• Check out this infographic on managing a corporate e-reputation by William J. Ward (@DR4WARD). Note: Though I don’t agree with every tactic mentioned here, it offers a solid overview and framework to launch discussions.

Remember that it’s not just about the brand or corporate accounts. In The Rise of the Profersonal, Andrew Hanelly (@hanelly) discusses responsibilities of using social media for modern professionals.

My favorite quote: “When you use social media, you forfeit the right to truly be yourself with no holds barred. Holds are definitely barred ... If you have a job, all of your social media activity is both personal and professional. It’s profersonal. It’s the era we live in.”

So, let us know what you think about the convergence of PR and customer service. Will it continue? Who should "own" which channels? Where does customer service stop and PR start, and vice versa? I'd love to continue this discussion in the comments below. 

Laurel Miltner is the assistant vice president at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Laurel on Twitter: @laurelmackenzie.

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