What really happens inside a Social Media Command Centre?

We decided to take a closer look, to find out what really happens inside a social media command centre and why it’s so important.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to work at the Social Media Command Centre?

My name is Chutima. I’ve been working with Krungthai-AXA Life for 4 years.
Before the Social Media Command Centre (SMCC), I was in Agency Distribution working in business retention and upselling. When the Digital Strategy was set up, the team began looking for a Social Media Manager. The role required an understanding of life insurance, our products, distribution services and our back office process. Internal mobility is always encouraged, so I thought I’d apply.
The recruitment process was quite unique. The team were looking for a person who was willing to go beyond customer expectation. So each candidate was sent a hypothetical case separately and at a random time, to gauge their reaction, response time, level of knowledge and service. And thankfully, I passed and was given the role.

Can you explain the purpose of the Social Media Command Centre?

The SMCC allows us to monitor conversations on social media and public forums in real-time. We can respond to issues and customers quickly and help prevent any social media crises from arising. It’s very important in terms of our online reputation.
We assist with lead generation too, helping to find people who are looking for a protection product. With more and more of the world looking for products online, it only makes sense to be able to answer these needs with a fully responsive online presence.

And how does the Command Centre work?

We have 6 screens on the wall that we monitor on a daily basis. They report the movements of online conversations that contain pre-defined keywords. These screens may have for example, an overview report of keywords over time, a map showing locations of conversations, a screen with real-time mentions on social networks, and a screen that shows the share of voice of Krungthai AXA against our key competitors.

How many are there in your team and what is your typical day like?

There are two of us – a Social Media Executive and myself. We take turns and plan our shifts carefully to ensure that customers are always addressed promptly, and that we can each spend quality time with our families too. It’s a fairly flexible work environment and we’re able to work from home on company tablets when needed.
Day-to-day, we check the notifications in the system and promptly address customer queries by providing information or escalating cases to concerned parties. We help alleviate customer frustrations, respond to our fans, suggest product information that meets the needs of prospects, and follow-up on pending cases with concerned parties ensuring that customers are happy and issues have been resolved.

How does your team work with the wider group?

As our role is to manage Krungthai AXA’s online presence, it’s important to connect up with other areas of the company. We take any issues we find and escalate them to our partners. We work with Operations (the call center) when it comes to customer services and policy information; with the Distribution Channel for complaints about our distributor services; and Brand & Communication when it comes to reputation issues. We’re all one big team.

Finally, what do you think is the best thing about working at the SMCC?

We turn the unhappy customers to the happy ones.