How Social Media has changed customer service?

We all know that bad news have always travelled faster than good news, but with the rise of social media this has become a determinant aspect for companies to re-think the efficiency at their customer service centres.

Nowadays, every company should know that no customer is insignificant when it comes to receiving a complaint; still you would be surprised how most of them fail to recognise the value of satisfying customers’ needs and expectations.

A great example of the impact that social media can have in damaging a firm’s reputation is a very interesting protest YouTube song video produced by Canadian musician Dave Carroll. ‘United Break Guitars’ was released in 2009, and the song pictures the musician’s experience and frustration with United Airlines customer service representatives when his guitar was broken in the airline’s custody. This video went viral almost immediately, it had more than 2 million viewers in less than a week, causing a 10% decrease on shares, a massive $180 million in looses.

Thanks to examples like this one, companies have now realised that in today’s digital world where almost everyone has a voice and consumers are seeking for social support, they need to re-invent their strategies and be more open and transparent when approaching and being approached by clients. The way I see it, organisations now more than ever should be investing time and effort in evaluating their customer service teams, and making sure they are always offering the highest standards of service.