Twitter Customer Service: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

When it comes to friends, family and brands, I am about the most loyal person you will find. The reasoning behind the friends and family part is pretty obvious, but the reason I am a brand loyalist is very simple: customer service. When I find a brand that has good products and good customer service, it takes a lot for me to speak badly about it or even think of going elsewhere. Twitter has only made that expectation more intense for me. While this sort of behavior is typical of today’s new digital business landscape, I’ve decided to highlight some of the companies that I’ve had the best Twitter interactions with in an effort to recognize their good works and recommend, explain or discount where appropriate.

1) Bekins Moving Company – @BekinsVanLines
Bekins is by far the most impressive of my Twitter customer service experiences. I had a great experience with the company up until the delivery of my items. I wasn’t being kept up-to-date on my delivery time and when I finally did get an answer, they changed the date.

I took to Twitter to express my unhappiness and Bekins not only immediately responded, but then took steps to correct the issue. They listened to me vent via Twitter direct message. I then received a personalized apology email directly from the manager of customer care, a call from customer service with the correct information and a manageable expectation and follow-up calls up until the delivery date. It was easy to overlook this tiny blip because the customer service was quick and efficient, and the goods were delivered perfectly.

2) Sears Automotive – @SearsAuto

This was the most surprising – and hilarious – of my Twitter business interactions. I visited Sears Automotive to get my car prepped for a recent cross-country trip. My sarcastic Foursquare check-in caught the eye of the @SearsAuto Twitter manager, and completely catching me off guard, he/she inquired about my experience. Not only did I receive great service in the shop – which made my comment completely unfounded – but  @SearsAuto responded and followed up gracefully; forever earning them a special place in my heart when it comes to auto service.

2) Whole Foods – @WholeFoods

While living in D.C. I was a pretty frequent shopper at Whole Foods. My store was always busy, so you came to expect a level of curtness from everybody in the store. However, one early morning the staff was just a bit too rude, so I took to Twitter to talk to Whole Foods’ very active Twitter feed. I give Whole Foods honorable mention here because they did respond. It took a couple of days and I was a bit surprised by their asking me how I would like them to respond to their staff, but the fact that they even bothered to write back and took what I had to say seriously, secured my business and has won them many a positive retelling of my Twitter conversation with @WholeFoods.

Alamo Rent a Car – @alamocares

One of the main things to understand about Twitter customer service is that just because you express unhappiness, doesn’t mean a company is going to move mountains for you. Understanding that expectation was key to my experience with @alamocares. I rented twice with Alamo, both times tweeting about my dismay, and both times @alamocares tweeting back that they were listening. To the Twitter team’s credit, they messaged me back right away. Unfortunately, once I took the conversation off of Twitter the tone completely changed.

I am not looking to smear any company names in this post, but I bring this up to point out that how a company converses with a customer once they are out of the Twitter spotlight makes a difference. I didn’t expect them to refund me everything, but rather care a bit more than was expressed. We agreed to disagree and that’s the price of business, but as I told them, I will not be renting from Alamo anytime in the near future.

Tags: Bekins, communication, conversation, customer service, respect, Sears, social media, twitter, Whole Foods