Are you paying close enough attention to your customers on social media?
A business with any marketing sense checks its social media accounts regularly and replies to customers, but here’s a story to illustrate how checking very regularly and a prompt reply and action can work marketing wonders!
Last month, a customer on Virgin trains was on a Virgin train using the facilities and upon completion of his task noticed that the onboard toilet was out of toilet paper. He took the somewhat surprising step of tweeting about it, then and there. Here’s his tweet:
I've just had a reasonably large poo and there is no toilet roll left on the @virgintrains 19.30 train from Euston to Glasgow pls send help.
— Adam (@AdamPlaysYT) December 2, 2014
Like a lot of people, he was using social media to vent his frustration and to have a moan, probably not expecting a response, let alone a satisfactory resolution, but that’s not taking account of the fact the Virgin are masters of customer service and marketing!
Within two minutes, Virgin responded with this tweet:
@AdamPlaysYT Which coach, Adam? ^MW
— Virgin Trains (@VirginTrains) December 2, 2014
A surprised but relieved Adam replied and then got the following response:
@AdamPlaysYT We'll send someone down to you ^MW
— Virgin Trains (@VirginTrains) December 2, 2014
A crisis was averted and a grateful Adam sent the following tweet:
Thanks so much! @VirginTrains ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kvQDtAZCKy
— Adam (@AdamPlaysYT) December 2, 2014
As funny and amusing as this story may be, it perfectly illustrates how important social media is in building and maintaining excellent customer experiences. Of course it also got Virgin Trains a lot of very positive media coverage, which is priceless for any business.
Too often businesses see social media as something of a chore, something that they must do and deal with because their competitors are doing it. However, more progressive and astute businesses see the importance and usefulness of social media and actively build and manage online communities with the aim of generating stronger brand recognition and loyalty; this in turn should eventually lead to increased revenue which at the end of the day is what business is all about!
