BLUE OCEAN ENGAGES INDUSTRY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

		Blue Ocean Contact Centers has embraced social media as a means of connecting with staff, clients, industry friends and partners. For the past six months they have done this through an online presence through Twitter and Facebook.   “This is more than being a part of a trend,” says Blue Ocean’s Marketing Manager, Stephanie Pelley. “Tools like Twitter and Facebook really open a lot of doors for us in terms of connecting easier with stakeholders in our business and the contact center world. We’re able to expand our communications locally and the opportunities we’ve had to expand our reach globally have been great.”   Strategies for each of these mediums varies somewhat. While the Facebook profile is used mostly to engage staff, friends of the company, potential job applicants and local organizations, the Twitter strategy is to make the company visible within the industry. Blue Ocean is currently building a network with goals for the long run. “We have hundreds of followers so far and if ultimately this leads to visibility with potential new clients, all the better,” says Stephanie, “but right now we’re using it as a tool to get our name out there in the industry, connect with other customer service professionals and see what conversations are going on around customer service and the contact center industry internationally.”

Blue Ocean is fortunate in that they have had the support of their sister company, Colour, who employ a team of digital strategists that are experts in the application of social media for business. “Their clients have been benefiting from their expertise for years and we have been able to go to them for counsel and direction which has been a great resource for us.”
 
Blue Ocean has received lots of great feedback on their online strategy, even from social media experts who have specifically referenced the company’s Twitter and Facebook profiles as strong examples of using these tools effectively in business. “I frequently get requests to use our profiles as case studies for webinars and presentations,” says Stephanie. “We’re definitely doing something right!”
 
Becoming experts in the use of these tools is becoming even more important for Blue Ocean as the company begins offering social media as a value-add to their clients as a medium for customer contact management. The contact center industry is quickly evolving to include these channels for customer service in addition to voice, e-mail and chat. Many of Blue Ocean’s clients are already engaged or are considering a strategy. “Our clients are continuously being told that they need to jump on this phenomenon, or miss the boat to the benefit of their competitors,” says Stephanie. “We’re in a strong position to help them do that and those who have decided to take the initiative are already experiencing results.”