Remarkable customer service examples using social media
According to J.D. Power, a research and polling agency, 67% of consumers used corporate social media channels for servicing.
Jay Baer, who conducted the research, says when customers interact with these communications, they expect a quick response, noting that 42% of consumers expect a response within an hour.
In order to gain insight into the important role that social media plays in providing good customer service, we provide you with some amazing ideas and examples of how different companies around the world serve their customers. Check the following examples which could inspire you to bolster your business.
Morton’s Steakhouse: Quick airport service
While waiting for his plane to take off in Florida, Peter Shankman jokingly asked Morton’s Steakhouse to deliver a porterhouse steak when he lands at Newark airport.
“Hey @Mortons- can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)” he tweeted.
Peter did not expect his request to be met, so he was surprised to find a staff member from Morton’s restaurant waiting for him at the airport with a full meal of steak.
When you think of the logistics and the success in reaching the airport in less than three hours, it becomes even more impressive.
Lesson: Do something unexpected for a loyal customer and exceed their expectations.
Delta Hotel: Room with a bad View
While attending a conference in Vancouver, Mike McCready tweeted that, while he liked his room at the Delta, the view wasn’t so nice. He didn’t contact the hotel, and he wasn’t asking for anything.
Within an hour, Delta responded – offering a room with a better view. And when Mike returned to his room after the conference, he found a dish of sweets and a handwritten card from the staff at his hotel.
Lesson: Try setting up your company’s social media strategy, and monitor your customers’ feedback
Waterstones bookstore: Freeing a man locked in the bookstore
While every customer comment is important, some are going to be a little more urgent than others. This was the case of David Willis who was locked at Waterstones bookstore. He tweeted:” Hi @Waterstones I’ve been locked inside of your Trafalgar Square bookstore for 2 hours now. Please let me out.”
The tweet went viral, with over 16,000 retweets and more than 12,000 likes. Because someone was monitoring Waterstones Twitter account, they responded and freed David.
Imagine how this could have turned out, if customer service had stopped listening for the day.
Lesson: Always listen to your customers
Nike: Respond kindly to customers’ requests
Nike Support is one of the strongest customer service accounts on Twitter. They feature a dedicated Twitter account, support seven days a week and in seven languages (English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, German & Japanese.)
An example of their approach is here in this customer interaction: A customer contacts them to ask for help finding an order number. Although the question was unclear Nike’s customer support made the customer feel cared for, which impressed the client.
Lesson: Be kind, even when it’s not your fault.
What can you learn from these examples?
- Choose a primary channel for customer service (many use Twitter) and assign staff to manage it.
- Decide on your schedule of availability, set hours and days and post it on your profile.
- Make sure you monitor other social channels for questions and conversations about your brand.
Finally, review these points with your customer service team. Decide which apply to your business right now and assign a team member to implement them.
