travelavnut From Netherlands, joined May 2010, 1381 posts, RR: 5 Posted (1 year 9 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1809 times:
I've seen the use of social media (like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube) by KLM being mentioned a few times in trip reports and other threads. But I feel their way of using social media to really improve customer service, bring a smile to some of their passengers and of course running a very effective, succesful but probably also a very cheap marketing campaign deserves a thread.
I also wonder if there are any other carriers out there doing something similar.
The KLM facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/KLM ) is IMHO pretty impressive. They handle complaints, remarks, questions and problems really fast and for the most part completely in the public view (they insist on private messages when they need personal information, but otherwise they will explain/respond to complaints in public). I have been following their Facebook page for quite a while now and I have never see them delete a complaint or harsh remark. As I am someone who works a lot in social media I know this is one the important ways to bind followers through social media; always be transparent and honest.
The same goes for their Twitter feed ( http://twitter.com/#!/klm ), fast responses (sometimes within minutes, almost never longer than 30-45 minutes).
To be honest, although I'm not a big fan of their hard product (and their fares), knowing that when I fly KLM there is always a way to directly communicate with them if I have any questions or problems does increase my incentive to fly with them. And I'm assuming I'm not the only one feeling that way. So kudos to KLM for that!
But what I really liked is their KLM Surprise promotion ( http://surprise.klm.com/ check the video!). During the summer a small team of KLM employees scans Twitter and Facebook for people mentioning they are flying with KLM, and they surprise those people with a small gift. A small personal gesture that gets a smile (and a LOT of Tweeting afterwards) every time. I must say I really like watching those videos!
So I'm wondering; would it make a difference for you, when selecting a carrier, if you knew they had a functioning social media channel available for questions and remarks? (ergo; is KLM getting what they wanted from this campaign?)
And i also wonder if there any other carriers making use of social media so extensively?
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 2, posted (1 year 9 months 1 week 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1796 times:
Quoting travelavnut (Thread starter): They handle complaints, remarks, questions and problems really fast and for the most part completely in the public view
Impressive! Actually, in my memory I've never heard of rude Dutch before.
Yup, I watched the video again and found it very heart warming. Can't imagine if I was in a situation like that. :P
Quoting travelavnut (Reply 1): Do you think that this is the future of customer service?
I do hope airlines follow their footsteps!
AirAsia has actually surprised me once too, on my birthday when flying BKI-SIN. They sang me a happy birthday song, complete with a birthday card signed by the entire crew, including the pilots. It's these little things that make your flight awesome. However, AirAsia still has to improve in terms of social media since they take ages to reply to queries (or so I heard) but they have been wonderful for me so far.
Whoa, fantastic idea indeed. Simple and clean, yet very effective. Typically Dutch, I believe
Quoting travelavnut (Thread starter): although I'm not a big fan of their hard product (and their fares)
Quoting travelavnut (Thread starter): So I'm wondering; would it make a difference for you, when selecting a carrier, if you knew they had a functioning social media channel available for questions and remarks?
It will at the very least install a positive impression of the carrier. However, all else being equal, it might not suffice to have one pay a higher fare to fly with them.
Quoting travelavnut (Thread starter): And i also wonder if there any other carriers making use of social media so extensively?
TAP Portugal make very notable use of their Facebook page. Just as KLM, they handle any kind of remark very openly and answer to any question in a matter of minutes (yep, that quick). It sometimes surprises me as people share borderline private information (ie frequent flier numbers) and even private information (ie phone numbers) to suplement their cases. TAP also holds auctions for tickets to any TAP destination very frequently via their facebook.
fbgdavidson From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 3688 posts, RR: 31 Reply 4, posted (1 year 9 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1734 times:
I met Pierre-Henri Gourgeon a couple of months back and during a one-on-one chat I asked him about AF/KL's handling of social media, not only Twitter, Facebook, etc. but other IBBs such as Flyertalk. Although he hadn't heard of Flyertalk (which kind of surprised me given it's the #1 FF website) he did say Twitter and Facebook were extremely important not only for customer feedback but handling of promotions too. He seemed very proud of the fact AF/KL had more Facebook fans than any other airline, something I wasn't aware of.
"My first job was selling doors, door to door, that's a tough job innit" - Bill Bailey
Sponsor Message: 
From Netherlands, joined May 2010, 1381 posts, 
From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, 
From Portugal, joined Aug 2008, 654 posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 3688 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
