If you’re thinking about putting some of Twitter’s new customer service features to use, you could do much worse than to check out how Transport for London (TfL) are using them.
The use of social messaging apps for customer service is something I’ve blogged about before, and also commented on for the My Customer website. One broad theme has been the need for brands to think very carefully about how they use automation/bots in these platforms, for risk of alientating and annoying their audience.
TfL have long been a user of Twitter for customer care, with tube-line-specific handles providing service updates and support to many thousands of commuters every day. So it was unsurprising to see them being one of the first brands to put Twitter’s quick replies & welcome messages to good use.
So what do I like about it?
1. A good fit for their service
It’s the right sort of service to use these features on. Lots of people doing the same thing, with the same queries on the same topics. Such as checking the status of your line.
2. Other value add
As well as solving my immediate query I’m offered details of a useful resource (Journey Planner), as well as the option to sign up for proactive messaging – why wouldn’t I?
3. Consistency across the network
I get the same experience, regardless of which line I’m on.
4. I can still use DMs as normal
Ok, so this isn’t something unique TfL are doing, but I can very easily chat with a human whenever I like. No annoying decision tree to battle through first.
All in all, I think it’s great.
Who else have you seen who’s really using Twitter well?