A great assessment by Norris on why “getting social” is not enough:
What so many social media experts make the mistake of doing, is thinking that it’s the stuff round the edges that makes the difference and that simply responding to negative customer experiences with a speedy Tweet, or jolly little video, is enough. But unless you’re prepared to perform root and branch surgery on the way that your company works, and put the customer at the heart of everything that you do, it won’t make a difference as you’ll always be fighting fires…
Central to his argument is the now-infamous episode surrounding United passenger and aspiring country singer Dave Carroll. While waiting for his plane to take off last year, Carroll saw the loading crews throwing and smashing his prized Taylor guitar. Not only did Carroll see it, he also videotaped it. When he arrived in Chicago, he confirmed that his guitar was, indeed, destroyed. Then followed a fruitless effort to convince United Airlines that it should compensate him for the damage to his instrument. When he realized his discussions were leading nowhere, Carroll recorded a fantastic video response which immediately spread like wildfire:
The damage to the United brand is, of course, incalculable. The lesson: While an integrative social media strategy is an important part of your marketing arsenal, it’s no substitute for real customer service.
via Stop Saying Sorry, Start Getting Really Social.
