Should A Company Have A Heart?
The Virgin America "Difference" is heart.
Probably the most oft-cited example in recent memory of a company showing a big heart is the woman who, after explaining she had not returned shoes because her mother had passed away, came home to a lush arrangement of flowers from Zappos. The “I Heart Zappos” story reverberated through social media and customer service circles in 2007 and 2008, and helped establish the brand as the gold standard for online customer service.
Other companies took notice. And whether consciously or not, they began making similar promises of unconventional and remarkable service. My recent experience with Virgin America is a great example of this. I put their claims to the test and while I may have had to stir the pot a bit, in the end they proved they had a heart within 24 hours of my blog post.
But should they have? I was admittedly past my expiration. Don’t they have the right to protect their profits with policies and limitations? And if they make an exception for me, what about everyone else? Isn’t it enough for an airline to provide a great flying experience? Why do they have to worry about my problems? Hell, I obviously can’t even follow their rules.
The answer is yes, they should have a heart. It’s simply good business. In my case, Virgin America retained an otherwise loyal customer by simply extending $300 worth of credits I’d already paid for. That’s 100% net gain and it was easy for them. But it meant the world to me, their loyal customer.
The Power of Social Media
From the customer perspective, this is a great case study for getting better customer service through social media channels. My wife got nowhere after an hour on the phone, but thirty minutes blogging, tweeting and posting on Virgin America’s Facebook wall and I got response and resolution. Why? Well, hopefully because they’re living up to the “Our Difference” promise, but possibly because on the phone it is a private, finite conversation while online it is very public and complaints have the potential to escalate into PR nightmares. While the latter is a more cynical view, it is no less important if the end result is retaining a loyal customer. The end justifies the means.
From the company perspective, providing customer service via social media channels is equally rewarding. The most vocal people online are more likely to also be the more passionate and influential people. Whereas a complaint may die in quiet frustration over the phone, the same complaint may be turned into a positive reputation builder for the brand online. That means a company can potentially earn the positive recognition of many, by helping fewer people.
So companies, have a heart. It’s a win-win!