Music - Songs - Life

Wrong.

I’ll be honest here. This post was spurred by the fact that today I had to resort to twitter to get a companies attention. I ordered something for my boyfriend’s impending birthday and when I got it, it wasn’t the one I’d ordered. They did a great job, it just wasn’t what I ordered. I emailed the company and they offered to fix it. Awesome. Then they stopped returning my emails. Needless to say I’m pretty irked. I’d go to another company but so far they’re the only ones who could do what I wanted… and they know it. So, after two weeks of emailing and emailing, I tweeted them asking why I couldn’t get a little customer service.

Wince.

As the owner of a small business I hate the possible loss of potential customers that a negative review can cost them over a simple mixup in an order. However, by ignoring my emails, they forced me to go more public to get their attention. 

This got me thinking: The majority of interactions musicians have with their fans are completely public; be it in person, or through a social site such as Twitter or Facebook. Negative interactions can be just as detrimental to a band as they are to the “standard” business. 

What does customer service mean for a musician, and how to make it work for you.

Musicians don’t have to deal with customer service, because they don’t have customers, they have fans. 

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. 

It takes money and support to be in music, money in support that in large part comes from your fans. They pay for a concert ticket and in return, a band plays for them. Yepp, thats right for, not to, for. Without those paying fans you would not be up on that stage.  Every time one of your fans buys your CD or one of your songs, every time they buy a concert ticket they’re paying for a service: your music.  Even when they’re not spending any money, when they tell their friends about how great your music is, voting for you in a contests, or calling in to radio stations to request your music they’re paying with their time. 

In a perfect world, repaying them with your music would be enough to not only keep but expand your fan base. That is not the case though, especially not in this economy. In order to keep your fans you need to go above and beyond with your customer service. 

How can I do that?

• Talk to your fans. Talk to them on Twitter, on Fb, at shows and wherever else you are. Don’t just talk AT them, talk TO them. Ask them questions, learn about their lives. Find out what THEY want from you’re band and give it to them (Within reason of course). 
• Respond. If a fan tweets about you with an issue, respond. Say they bought tickets to your last show months in advance but had to miss the show because of a test scheduled for the next morning. At the very least tweet back at them telling them how sorry you are that they missed you and they hope to see you at the next show. 
• Create Lists. Write down the name of that fan that bought tickets but missed the show so that at the next show in their city, if possible, you can surprise them with a backstage pass or a free ticket. Keep a list for each city and write down the names of fans that go above and beyond. Surprise them with a handwritten postcard the next time you’re coming to town letting them know how excited you are to see them. 
• Let it go. Some people just want to fight. Do not engage them. Do your best to help them solve their issue, but after that, tell them you’re sorry for whatever is bothering them, and let it go. Do not engage. No matter how in the right you are, you wont win. At worst, it encourages your fans to bicker with each other. 

Above all, remember that without your fans, you wouldn’t be where you are.  

What do you guys think your customer service should include?

-Devin