Have you ever had a horrible customer service experience that just kept getting worse? We’ve all been in the situation where a company makes a mistake. However, with call centers located in foreign countries and automated phone systems, a poor customer service experience can quickly turn into a horror.
There’s a trick to getting better customers service- TWITTER.
Twitter gets a bad rap for many reasons, but the truth is no social network is better for settling customer service issues. You can make calls, chat online or even write notes, but nothing gets the attention of small companies and large corporations like a potential PR failure. Twitter gives you the ability to share your experience with the world. I’ve used it to contact airlines about booking me on new connections prior to taking off on a flight delayed on a runway, address issues with elusive web companies and much more.
In my most recent adventure, UPS botched a two-package delivery. Package #1 was delivered about seven blocks away (the business owner called me) while #2 was perpetually riding on a truck due to the company falsely stating that they had a wrong address. I called for assistance and was connected to a very friendly Mike who I can only assume was in India. After he put me on hold for ten minutes, I hung up. Next, I opened up a chat. This is when things went very, very south.
Basically Lucy G. told me that they could not pick up the package they mistakenly delivered to the wrong address and deliver it to me. The conversation was both patronizing and annoying. In the end, I went to pick up the package myself as I needed it for a trip I was taking the following day. However, I did post my experience and frustrations on social media (specifically Twitter), tagging UPS. What happened next was magic! The traveling box was delivered. I received a series of apology tweets and private messages stating that Lucy’s response was not company policy. Several days later, I returned home from a business trip to find this…
Then this…
Did you catch that? They not only issued a refund, but also sent me flowers! When phone and online customer service failed, social media, more specifically Twitter, made them take me seriously.Remember to keep Twitter in your customer service issue tool belt! Also, don’t forget to praise louder than you complain. I posted the flowers to Twitter, thanking UPS for the follow-through. Additionally, I use the platform regularly to share great customer service experiences.