TWITTER CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE #1

Last week, I tweeted about an unpleasant experience at a NYC tapas restaurant (from my personal account). The hostess had been incredibly rude and dismissive, so much so that we left, baffled as to why we had been treated this way, and I felt compelled to speak up about it.

I tweeted about my experience a few days later, using the Twitter handle of the restaurant to get their attention. I was disappointed when I didn’t hear from them a few hours later (after all, Twitter is a very much “in real time”). It took them three days to reply, via DM, to my tweet, but the attention I received once they was excellent. Not only did they ask for a detailed account, but they apologized profusely for any inconveniences. They even offered me a free pitcher of Sangria the next time I went in (by showing the manager my DM from them). I have yet to redeem the pitcher, but it was a kind gesture on their behalf.

TWITTER CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE #2

The second experience happened a few days ago. I was having an incredibly hard time changing flight dates with a certain airline. After attempting to change dates online (utter fail-the system was terrible) and various phone calls into their call center, I was absolutely frustrated. I let off steam online via a tweet (again, using their Twitter handle), and received a tweet within the hour asking if they could help. After DMing back and forth, the airline seemed to have disappeared from Twitter. I had a deadline for changing the tickets and needed an answer. So after some more asking on my part, they finally got back to me with an answer. Although they couldn’t help, I appreciate the quick response (though not so much the lagging time responding after I let them know the problem through DM).

What to take from these experiences?

1) If your brand is going to have a presence on Twitter, make sure you have someone check at least every few hours. Your customers will appreciate the quick response.

2) Although all companies have various ways to contact customer service, do not underestimate the power of social media in resolving issues, or at least listening and offering an apology to a dissatisfied customer.

3) When you ask someone to explain the issue further through a social platform such as Twitter, keep in mind certain restrictions, such as the 140-character Twitter limit. I would have found it a lot easier to have either been asked for my email address, or to have been provided with one to explain what occurred. 140 characters is tough!

4) Always remember to be authentic, transparent and honest. Customers want to connect with a person in the company, not the company itself. They want to be heard and understood. Responding with an automated or mocked-up answer won’t cut it. So remember to be personal and engaged at all times.