In which we share our customer service mantras
What comes to mind when you hear the words “customer service”? Maybe it’s a restaurant or bar where everyone knows your name and remembers your favorite meal and drink. Or perhaps you think about a local coffee shop where the baristas are friendly, attentive and recommend great tasting blends that make you feel like a coffee connoisseur.
That’s how we aim to treat our clients here at Subject Matter.
We know clients are always looking for quick ways to get results. But they also care about the experience they have with a business. You need that cup of coffee in the morning. You’ll come back every day if you get it with a smile and the sense that staff would go the extra mile for you.
Before I came to Subject Matter, I worked for two beloved consumer brands, Vitamix and Smucker’s. Those experiences taught me businesses that not only meet clients’ needs but also provide an exceptional experience often lead the pack. Creating quality products—whether blenders, fruit spreads, or strategic communications plans—in tandem with providing exceptional customer service is always a recipe for success.
I’m proud that at Subject Matter, we value our relationships with our clients. Here are our customer service mantras:
Be a Subject Matter Expert
Every person here is deeply invested in more than just our documented responsibility to a client. We care about their subjects, and we take the time to become experts on their key issues and goals. We work hand-in-hand as equal partners to bring their messages to life through creative advocacy specifically tailored to their needs.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit medical center, and Buckle Up for Life, a philanthropy of the carmaker Toyota, aim to educate people across the nation on the importance of car seat safety. They count on us to execute their daily social postings not just because we have a team of digital media experts, but also because we understand their mission and the nuances of conveying urgent messages about car seat safety. Because of that expertise, they have trusted us to be a partner in social media advertising, radio and broadcast media and content development for more than three years.
Last summer, the Buckle Up for Life team sought to expand their reach beyond the core “activist” audience and engage with parents and caregivers who are less aware of car safety issues. The campaign we executed with them delivered important tips and facts to their target audience in a humorous and entertaining way.
The strategy (and humor!) worked. We’ve doubled their average post reach on Facebook and increased engagement by 33% since August 2016. Twitter impressions have jumped 20%.
Do What It Takes
Our team is nimble and ready to provide substantial support to clients at a moment’s notice. From long-term projects to same-day requests, someone is ready to tackle the task.
The team at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation does not hesitate to reach out to us for day-of live event support, data analysis, and social monitoring and to brainstorm new ideas for upcoming projects. They’re making such a large impact across the nation as they put a spotlight on communities fighting for health coast-to-coast. We are honored to support their efforts by creating assets and strategies for large campaigns and supporting day-to-day digital efforts.
Every one of our clients, regardless of their size, gets that same level of attention.
Cultivate Success
We want to make sure our clients get the most out of best practices and emerging trends. By using listening systems that analyze the volume, sentiment and influence of conversations online and by conducting focus groups with target audiences, we’re able to inform our clients’ goals, timelines and approaches. For example, the sentiment (positive or negative) of a public conversation when it begins guides the response. The volume of conversation and the level of influence—or visibility—it has, drives the speed at which communication must be developed. Focus groups offer authentic feedback and data that reveal how a target audience may be most receptive to a campaign message. Those are just a few examples of why we believe data builds better recommendations.
Customer service might not be the first quality that comes to mind when you’re looking for strategic communications. We believe it should be. So, when you’re ready to experience the level of service you get from your favorite restaurant or coffee shop, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll have an open chair waiting for you.
