Over the last week or two, I’ve had far too many frustrating moments with businesses that provide me with regular services. These have significantly diminished my experience of them, to the point of wondering if it’s worth the hassle of changing providers. And in two instances, it would be a MASSIVE hassle.

My husband came home from work on the Easter Monday public holiday with a bigger than usual smile on his face. He couldn’t wait to show me the thank you gift he had been given by his manager.

Social media, when used properly, is an excellent way to engage with your members. Facebook specialist Mari Smith said it best: “Content is king but engagement is queen, and the lady rules the house.”

Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of being in an audience listening to the impressive Gary Vaynerchuk – the man known to many as @GaryVee.

“It won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“We’ve never done it that way, it won’t work.”

I’ve been thinking lately about my experiences as a customer.

Yesterday I was part of a brief twitter conversation talking about brands that do twitter well – @telstra, @qantas, @virginamerica, @auspost were all mentioned.

I watched a fabulous TED talk by Margaret Heffernan a few weeks ago and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Have a think about how you felt the last time someone said “thank you” to you when you did something for them.

It’s rare I publicly name and shame about poor customer service on social media, but I know many others don’t share my view. I read an absolute ripper of a brand rant on Facebook yesterday! Disappointingly (for me!) it has now disappeared. It was truly excellent writing!