The new standard of customer service
A short exchange of direct messages with Emirates Airlines customer service Twitter account illustrates something that not long ago was considered exceptional: communicating with customer services through the social network of our choice and to be serviced quickly and competently has become the new standard for a growing number of companies across a growing number of industries.
A simple query: a few trips that I hadn’t earned any points for due to some mismatch in ticket issuance (simply with first name and first name, instead of using the full name that appears in my Spanish passport), quickly solved in four return messages, a photograph of my passport sent through the same channel, and a final message of thanks. Problem solved, points in my account, and another satisfied customer.
The transformation of customer service over the years has taken place slowly, almost imperceptibly, but has the hallmarks of a revolution. Instead of seeing customer service as a cost or an annoying obligation, companies are increasingly understanding it as a way to offer a product or service to improve their image, as a way to stand out from the competition or to earn loyalty and trust. From attending to customers strictly during business hours and at expensive call rates to discourage people, more and more companies are available 24 seven by phone, email, or social networks. With each day, customer service is now regarded as essential if a company wants to survive in the digital age. Otherwise, its image suffers very publicly, with the likelihood that potential customers will go elsewhere.
This is increasingly the case with the airline industry, with airlines dealing with customer complaints and needs on the social networks, particularly Facebook. Even though there is little an airlines can do via the social networks when a flight is delayed or luggage is lost, nevertheless, there is an understanding that it is important to provide information, to work with other departments to solve the problem, or simply to give the right impression, the feeling that there is someone on the other side interested in providing help. A factor, no doubt, that will be increasingly important in the future.
From pioneers like Frank Eliason and his ComcastCares account, dedicated to trying to improve the image of a cable operator whose customers damned it on satisfaction surveys, the practice of using social networks to reach out to customers has already become a standard, something that clients expect, and that will become an increasingly important part of the business in more and more industries. In a very few years, we have gone from it being almost impossible to talk to a company about a complaint to being completely normal.
If your company is not yet at this level, think about getting on the program.
(En español, aquí)
