With an increasing amount of organisations monitoring social media channels and engaging with customers online, does this mean that an angry tweet will get you more attention than traditional methods?
I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to sort out an urgent issue over the phone. There’s the obligatory ‘hold music’ which usually lasts around 15 minutes, then you finally get through to someone who you can’t understand or who can’t understand you, and when you’re done explaining your problem you find they’re not able to deal with that kind of issue anyway. Arhghrg!
Well, an article in The Times this weekend looked at the phenomenon of using Twitter as a place to complain, and found that people generally get a much prompter service than if they’d turned to other channels. This is hardly surprising for anyone that uses Twitter regularly, with many users mentioning the good and bad experiences they’ve had with brands and organisations on a daily basis and a large proportion getting personalised responses back.
It’s inevitable that as more companies realise the need to monitor social media channels and engage with customers online, users have more chance of their problems, rants and grievances being seen by the company itself. The reason for the prompt responses could be because many are using social media as a customer service channel or because they need to be seen to be responding to problems before they escalate.
If you have a genuine issue then there really should be no problem getting in touch with a company via Twitter, or venting your frustrations in the same way you share other details of your life with your followers.
However, with users getting increasing attention from their tweets and companies pandering to their problems, will people start to get too accustomed to this and take advantage a little?
It’s an interesting debate. During my time on Twitter, I’ve had two big problems with companies, which after errors on their part led to me losing money in some way or another.
I explained my frustrations on Twitter and did get quick and efficient responses, even though I immediately I felt a little manipulative, but maybe that’s just me.
The Times highlights stories of customers getting deals, freebies and prolonged VIP treatment after a tweet, which again seems fair to a certain extent if they’ve suffered problems in the past. However, with companies so keen to please everyone online there are always going to be those who attempt to game the system a little. Just be careful, although brands may be quick to help you out and befriend you on a daily basis, your followers probably won’t be as understanding.
Becca Caddy is a BitchBuzz Tech columnist and freelance writer who does unfortunately vent far too much on Twitter. You can follow her @beccacaddy or read her blogbeccacaddy.com.