Public relations and customer service: Employer perspectives of social media proficiency

Karen Sutherland; Karen Freberg; Christina Driver; Umi Khattab

doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101954

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Public relations and customer service: Employer perspectives of social media proficiency

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Public relations and customer service: Employer perspectives of social media proficiency

Karen Sutherland, Karen Freberg, Christina Driver and Umi Khattab

Public Relations Review, Vol.46(4), pp.1-7

2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101954

PMCID: PMC7367027

PMID: 32834428

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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Abstract

public relations

social care

customer service

social media

social customer service

General mental health and psychology

Thompson Institute Special Collection

Social media has enhanced integration between marketing and public relations. As such, public relations professionals have had to adapt and grow their knowledge and skillsets to stay relevant and current throughout the evolution of the digital landscape (Gesualdi, 2019). One of the growing areas of focus for public relations professionals has been customer service skills online. This specialization, often referred to as social care or social customer service, has been promoted and discussed heavily in industry circles and publications, but not in academic research. This study focuses on the survey results from 396 employers exploring the social media skills they most prefer university graduates to possess when entering the workforce. The results indicate that public relations and customer service are the social media skills most sought after by employers of university graduates ahead of proficiency in areas such as social media content production, strategy development and analytics. The potential implications of these findings to the public relations profession are examined and future research is also discussed.

Details

Title: Public relations and customer service: Employer perspectives of social media proficiency
Authors: Karen Sutherland (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Creative Industries - Legacy
Karen Freberg (Author) - University of Louisville
Christina Driver (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Umi Khattab (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Creative Industries - Legacy
Publication details: Public Relations Review, Vol.46(4), pp.1-7
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.
Date published: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101954
ISSN: 1873-4537
PMID: 32834428; PMC7367027
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy; Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99465408602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Business; Communication

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