Dec 4, 2012

Got a Beef? Don’t Count on a Tweet

Posted by Wendy Weber

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I was displaced for 11 days by Hurricane Sandy.  So forgive the delay in this post; I am just catching up on my reading.

There was a piece in the October issue of National Geographic Traveler about the way travel companies are managing social media called, “Got a Beef?  Don’t Count on a Tweet.”

According to author Christopher Elliott, travel companies are paying close attention to social media, and are often deleting negative threads from social sites.

Although consumer perception is that social media sites are public forums that provide an authentic depiction of customer interaction with companies, the truth is that in many cases, critical posts are removed.

Elliott says there are no shortcuts to getting better service, and says that “nothing is better than a real conversation, in real time and real life”.  I think that is stating the obvious; I have only resorted to social media after I have tried to communicate with the company through traditional means, and come up wanting.

In any case, the piece was an eye-opener for me.  I was under the impression social media was more transparent.

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