Chris McMann, President from 1800 Flowers, says that Social Media gives his company a competitive advantage.   They use this new dialogue both internally and externally.  

For instance, for their call centers, since they are now remote, they leverage internal communities for keeping in touch with the corporate culture.

Externally, they had people staffing Twitter, Facebook on Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day to resolve issues.  Their competition did not leverage this media and their competitors saw their complaints grow, while 1800 Flowers, saw comments on their responsiveness, and care.

So now they Social Media to tell the story about their brand.   They ask their customers to tell everyone about traditions, about their mom’s for example.  They took those stories and placed them in a  book — called “celebrating moms” and creating a space in the virtual world.   They now sell the book as an offer on Mother’s day!

Chris said he is trying to even learn more about his clients and their needs.  He is engaged in the dialogue to ensure he keeps up to speed on what makes people smile!