CTU: In the Trenches2013 Colorado Technical University

Use of social media to provide customer support and build deeper relationships in an online community.

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SUMMARY

The goal of the CTU social media community managers is to provide information and answers to questions, in a timely manner.

After noting conversations taking place outside of 9-5 business hours, we expanded our team. Now community managers monitor the page until 8pm CT, 7 days a week to best assist students, many of whom post after work.

In addition to expressions of pride and excitement, we receive a high volume of benign queries, as well as a smattering of negative complaints. While Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are not ‘official’ customer service channels – the nature of social media means students want real-time assistance.

The examples that follow showcase common ways we provide support and build loyalty and trust with our students and alumni through online dialogue.

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TURNAROUND

Kimberly was upset with her instructor, and not getting results. Working with established liaisons, we were able to have someone reach out to her quickly, and she felt much better and grateful for the assistance.

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QUICK TO CONNECT

We began talking to Skyla about her recent enrollment in the Criminal Justice program. We connected her with Rich Holloway via Twitter, and she was excited to get in touch.

Skyla connected with Rich very quickly on Twitter, and he was responsive, answering her tweet in 20 minutes! This level of attention allows enthusiastic students like Skyla to stay motivated and become advocates of CTU.

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WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN

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One of the challenges of online classrooms is technology. When things go down, students take to social for support. As policy, we respond to every single post (sometimes hundreds) instead of broadcasting the outage to all of our ~90K fans. Each student gets the individual attention they deserve and we protect the university’s reputation. Often, other students chime in to assist with info and advice.

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OUR CULTURE OF SERVICE

Students are now used to getting fast replies – and it’s fostered a culture of support. Others are quick to chime in and lend their thoughts to peers in need.

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COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Often, students or aspiring students ask questions that are best answered by their peers. We boost these questions so they get the feedback they need – good or bad.

By linking Michael’s question in a status update, we ensured he got the assistance he was looking for.

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COLLABORATING TO SERVE

When a student posts online, we’re able to assess in minutes whether they need further assistance. We work closely with liaisons to help within the organization, who respond quickly so an answer can be delivered. In this case, we were able to give the student a complete response in less than 1 hour.

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LEARN MORE

Learn more about our commitment to service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esxw0b8PTK0

And results of our 2013 social media community efforts:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngtMW3IXky4