Post on 25-Dec-2015
Implementing Social Media to Communicate with Your Customers
Chris M. GentKissimmee Utility Authority
APPA Business & Financial Conference September 16, 2009
About KUA• Founded in 1901• Florida’s sixth largest municipally-
owned utility• Provides service to 62,000
customers• 325 employees• Corporate Communications
department budget has been cut by nearly 50 percent this year
In tight financial times, communications
expenditures are often the victim of a utility’s reduced budget.
That's why we need to be creative in how we
communicate with our customers.
Definition of Social Media
• Social media describes a set of Internet tools that enable shared community experiences, both online and in person.
• Social media tools make it easier to create and distribute content and discuss the things we care about.
• It’s simply about joining a conversation!
Resistance• Don’t understand it• Government/corporate America
often moves slowly• Resistant to change• Fear of the unknown• Don’t want to leave anyone
behind
Obstacles• Lack of technical expertise• Corporate firewalls that restrict
access• Lack of personnel policies to
govern employee use• Liability
Benefits• Customer communication• Employee communication• Recruitment• Training• Conversation!
What happens if you don’t listen???
What One Person Can Do
• Dave Carroll• Lead singer in Canadian band
‘Sons of Maxwell’• Traveling from Halifax,
Nova Scotia to Nebraska via Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
What One Person Can Do
• Baggage handlers damaged his $3,500 guitar
• Bad customer service experience• After nearly a year of frustration,
Carroll promised to write and post three songs on YouTube
• First song released in July: 5 million+ views
• Second song released in August
What One Person Can Do
REFRAINUnited... You broke my Taylor
guitar.United… Some big help you
are.You broke it, you should fix itYou're liable, just admit it.I should've flown with
someone elseOr gone by car'Cause United breaks guitars.
What One Person Can Do
• The video, produced for just $150, achieved 4.6 million views within its first three weeks on YouTube, including 21,000 comments
• Within four days, United's stock price plunged by 10 percent, costing shareholders $180 million. (They could have purchased 51,000 replacement guitars!)
Bottom line:Social media levels the playing field for your utility and
your customers!
Social Media Tools• Research
– Survey Monkey, Zoomerang
• Communication– E-mail, Constant Contact, Facebook,
Twitter, Google Maps, TinyURL, bit.ly
• Multimedia– YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr
• Collaboration– Blogs, Google Groups
Monitor• Google Alerts• Technorati• Wikipedia
Recruitment/Training• Use the RSS reader in your Internet
browser and subscribe to blogs about HR and recruiting
• Set up content watchlists in Twitter• Join groups on LinkedIn and
contribute to the conversation • Start a YouTube channel with
training videos
Communication• How-to and energy conservation
videos on YouTube• Information sharing, outage
updates on Twitter• Photos, videos
and information on Facebook
Media Relations
• Photo and video sharing– Flickr
• Mapping– Google Maps
How to Use Them
If you’re not using them now, at least
reserve your organization’s name
for future use.
Go out and join the conversation today!
Thank You!
Chris M. GentVice President of Corporate Communications
Kissimmee Utility Authoritycgent@kua.comw 407-933-9836c 321-624-3383
twitter.com/chrisgent