Page 123 - The Apple Experience

Sonoma, requires its employees to answer the phone within three rings. A
similar philosophy should be applied to your brand’s digital touchpoints. One

survey found that 70 percent of companies ignore customer complaints on

Twitter. This is a missed opportunity to deepen the brand’s relationship with
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customers. In the same survey, 83 percent of the people who complained on

Twitter said they “really liked” or “loved” getting a reply when the company

did respond. When it comes to customer service, your customers want to be

heard and they see social media as a direct and immediate way to engage with
your brand. Most brands, however, ignore this channel and leave customers

feeling even more frustrated.

How long should it take for a company to respond to a complaint or

comment on Twitter? What is the digital equivalent to “ten steps or ten

seconds?” Virgin America airlines is one brand that takes every opportunity

on digital platforms to make customers feel welcome and special. It might

not respond to Twitter comments in ten seconds, but it gets darn close.
Virgin America monitors Twitter posts and will often welcome travelers

or address complaints within an hour. When I arrive at a Virgin America

terminal, I’ll check in on foursquare and share the post on Twitter. I’ve been

surprised to receive a personalized welcome before I board the plane an hour

or so later.

On December 6, 2011, Virgin America experienced a small customer

service crisis as it upgraded to a new online reservation system. It had

switched technology vendors, and the process was not going smoothly.

Customers were furious. I found it interesting, though, that Virgin America
was active on Twitter, apologizing and responding to complaints. The airline

responded to complaints within an hour of the customer posting the Tweet.

In total, the airline sent 12,000 Twitter replies in the days that followed the

snafu. Here are some sample exchanges between Virgin America and its