I tried to shoot you an email but couldn't find your email on our system. We have heard that a few regional marketing teams have hired social media coordinators for local social media tactics. Our corporate marketing team is working with them as I type. To discuss any HRB local or corporate social media initiatives (Get It Right Community, etc.), please feel free to reach out to me directly at:
Zena Weist
Director, Social Media
One H&R Block Way
Kansas City, MO 64105
zena.weist@hrblock.com | @zenaweist | 816.854.4323

Also, see MyBlock (our corporate intranet) for our online communication policy.

Thanks,
Zena

I'm sorry to hear you haven't had much success with this. Seeing as we're a vendor working with H&R Block, and not part of the H&R Block social media program, we can listen to you, but we can't step in to figure out what's going on. If possible, share this feedback with folks within your organization so they can act on it.

I tried to shoot you an email but couldn't find your email on our system. We have heard that a few regional marketing teams have hired social media coordinators for local social media tactics. Our corporate marketing team is working with them as I type. To discuss any HRB local or corporate social media initiatives (Get It Right Community, etc.), please feel free to reach out to me directly at:
Zena Weist
Director, Social Media
One H&R Block Way
Kansas City, MO 64105
zena.weist@hrblock.com | @zenaweist | 816.854.4323

Also, see MyBlock (our corporate intranet) for our online communication policy.

Thanks,
Zena

I'm sorry to hear you haven't had much success with this. Seeing as we're a vendor working with H&R Block, and not part of the H&R Block social media program, we can listen to you, but we can't step in to figure out what's going on. If possible, share this feedback with folks within your organization so they can act on it.

I'm a senior tax professional at HRB in NYC. Last week we had our orientation where the person who was coordinating social media was introduced. When I wanted to set up a contact with him, he didn't have a HRB e-mail.

Also, I cannot access my Linkedin, Facebook, or Twiiter account from a HRB computer. i have to go to the local internet cafe.

You'll have to do better.

I'm a senior tax professional at HRB in NYC. Last week we had our orientation where the person who was coordinating social media was introduced. When I wanted to set up a contact with him, he didn't have a HRB e-mail.

Also, I cannot access my Linkedin, Facebook, or Twiiter account from a HRB computer. i have to go to the local internet cafe.

You'll have to do better.

The social media team at H&R Block is heading up social media initiatives that will include getting those employees you mentioned prepared to start interacting online on behalf of the company. Four people wouldn’t be able to handle the kind of response the company hopes to tackle, and these folks aren’t tax experts, either. As I said in the post, this team is the hub for monitoring and executing social media strategies that will include getting the spokes (i.e., offices and employees) responding to questions and comments.

Thanks for your comment!

Teresa

The social media team at H&R Block is heading up social media initiatives that will include getting those employees you mentioned prepared to start interacting online on behalf of the company. Four people wouldn’t be able to handle the kind of response the company hopes to tackle, and these folks aren’t tax experts, either. As I said in the post, this team is the hub for monitoring and executing social media strategies that will include getting the spokes (i.e., offices and employees) responding to questions and comments.

Thanks for your comment!

Teresa

Dan,
You are absolutely right. At the beginning of the year, 1,000 senior tax pros went through social media training and began answering tax-related questions on H&R Block's online community called Get It Right. To date, our tax pros have answered well over 140,000 individual taxpayer's questions. In March, our client service organization began answering customer inquiries on our Facebook page, via Twitter and on our community. Prior to the social media team being created this past January, client inquiries used to be answered by marketing. Well intentioned people in marketing that had stepped up to help…but they didn't have access to systems or knowledge to resolve client inquires. It was a long, tedious process to get the client's inquiry resolved. We agree with you that the associates who can help the clients should be connecting with them 1:1. Social media tools are the best way for our associates to connect directly with our clients. Our focus is is two-pronged: 1) To get associates up-to-speed on the online tools that will help them help our clients; and 2) To be the central social media connection for our organization. Our team works as the traffic coordinators, or as Teresa termed it the social media "hub". We are working to get our 120,000 associate "spokes" out there in the social space doing what they do best.

Grant,
I'm all ears. Ask away via @zenaweist or zena(dot)weist(at)hrblock(dot)com

Interesting news. H&R Block has such great brand awareness, yet there seems to be a disconnect between the younger taxpayer and their value-added services. Social media could certainly be a channel for them to address this demographic, as we've seen with the Get It Right Community. I was hoping you could contact me via email, I had a couple other questions. I appreciate the help.

Grant