I find it very interesting how airlines use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to their advantage. They use it not only to promote their services or advertise their deals, but also as a customer service tool, a way to collect information about their consumers and to help address problems. It can be used to simplify and speed up customer contact and response, which saves time for both parties. Even though it’s not much help for fliers who have complicated requests or problems such as lost bags or late flights, it can be very useful when dealing with simple questions or inquiries.
For instance, on one occasion, a Twitter user pinged jetBlue at 10:49 a.m. asking, “I am flying on a red eye flight with my wife tonight. Are you charging for pillows and blankets?” Six minutes later the airline responded saying “Our Pillow and Blanket kit is $7 and includes CleanRest pillow, fleece & $5 coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond.”
In another case, a Porter Airlines passenger found herself waiting in a long line that wasn’t moving so she tweeted her dissatisfaction from her phone. Not only did all her contacts see the message, but the airline was listening too. By the time she got to the front of the line, the staff was ready to directly address her complaint.
It doesn’t require a huge effort to respond to customer questions through tweets and it is definitely beneficial for the airlines. It gets the online community involved, motivates them to travel and gets them talking about the airlines…be it positive or negative feedback. In the airline industry where everyone essentially sells the same service, airlines that use social media to turn disappointed customers into happy ones are already setting themselves apart and building customer loyalty.
