m2h blogs by Marcia Hansen

Last year, I won a customer service award because of how I acted proactively to assist customers on Twitter. I was one of about 50 employees invited to a special luncheon with Dennis Haysbert. I didn’t know about the special lunch ahead of time. I just did what I thought needed to be done, and the award was a surprise that came out of no where after the fact.

As I think about my plans for this year and how I can again go above and beyond, I happened to read a post on Nuts About Southwest, Seriously. This *really* is what we do, and who we are. If you click through, you can read about Southest Airlines employees, who on their own time, did a home renovation for someone who lives in one of their employee’s communities. Talk about customer service above and beyond!

Ally bank is another brand that I think is getting customer service and support right. If you visit the ally website, you’ll see:

1) In the top right corner, they publish their phone number and the current wait time in the queue. Not only does this signal that they welcome consumers’ calls, but it also shows they value our time by publishing how long we might have to wait in the queue.

2) Ally also offers additional features at exactly the right time. When I clicked on a term to learn more and then closed the window, the site offered a secure chat option, with the question, Want to learn more?

3. Lastly, Ally’s twitter channel (@AllyBank) advises they are “always open” and I can chat with an actual person any time I want. Love it! I can talk to a real person, and not an automated service, at any time. Now I think that’s good service.

What are other brands to do?

Is it time for more brands to offer 24/7, “Always Open” customer service and support on Twitter?

Should Twitter be seen as a regular customer service channel, with staffing coverage during the times our customers are shopping, not necessarily just during business hours where our branch or headquarters is located? If so, brands would need to staff for that.

As I look at what I can accomplish, I know I can help make every person I help on Twitter feel like they’re getting the star treatment. But let’s face it, that should be just standard operating procedure. I’m looking to take it to the next level.