Episode 9 - OtterBox

Focus on Customer Service Podcast

It’s no surprise that people are emotional about their smart phones, so a proper protective case can make or break – pun intended – the entire experience. In either case (yikes, another pun!), OtterBox and its sister company, LifeProof, are there to respond to customers on social media. Jessica Mack is the Senior Social Media Manager at both OtterBox and LifeProof, and she leads a team that is responsible both for marketing initiatives and for handling customer service issues. She spent some time with Dan Moriarty and me on Episode 9 of the Focus on Customer Service podcast. Some of the most quotable moments of this episode include: • “We try to think of our customers as family and treat them accordingly.” • “Our customers mean everything to us, and we try to involve them in our brand as much as possible, have fun, and really treat them as we would treat a good friend and not just as a customer on the other side of the computer.” • “We try to be really patient with people… we try to listen to them and understand how they’re feeling and do whatever we can to support that.” • “Keep [customer care] internal and recruit people who live and breathe your brand, who have a customer care background, and who genuinely care about helping people.” • “You have to reward the customers that are engaging with you positively as well.” Here are the highlights of Episode 9 and where to find them: 1:35 Jessica’s background and how she ended up in her current role 2:25 How the fact that OtterBox’s product protects other companies’ products affects its social care strategy 4:03 How the social customer service team is organized and how they balance both the marketing and the customer service aspects of the job. 6:35 What technology Otterbox and LifeProof use for social media marketing and customer service 7:20 OtterBox’s culture and how it leads to a focus on customer service 8:25 Why OtterBox decided to use multiple Twitter handles 9:45 How OtterBox handles situations when a customer’s phone breaks 13:20 An example of using social media feedback to develop new products 15:26 Some of Jessica’s most memorable social media interactions 16:40 Jessica’s advice to people starting off in social customer service As a reminder, YOU can choose which brands are featured on the Focus on Customer Service Podcast. If you have experienced awesome customer service on social media, please tweet us using the hashtag #FOCS and we will try to get that brand on a future episode.