Virgin and Social Media

What's everyone's opinion of Virgins use of Social Media?

It seems that in times like this weeks snow issues, you're more likely to get an answer from Facebook or Twitter than you are from looking at the web site or attempting to contact their call centre.

When Virgin tried to encourage their passengers to pay for ESTA via a commercial link, a post on facebook and the sudden outrage from a few people resulted in a quick rewrite of their website. Something that almost certainly wouldn't happen if you emailled customer services. It seems that airing your dirty laundry is the only way to get a proper resolution. T-Mobile are similar; you're more likely to get your problem fixed by tweeting than by calling customer service.

Have Virgin taken social media seriously enough? Spent too much on it? Should they redirect their efforts back to the more traditional methods that more of their customer base may appreciate?

I realise by asking this on a web site where most people are tech savvy may sway the results slightly, just curious as to what others think of their efforts so far, and what they could change.

[mitchja]

Nearly every UK business is exactly the same these days. Air your dirty washing on a public website and hey presto, things start to happen. Plus Net (my ISP) is exactly the same. You raise a ticket and nothing gets done, you moan and whine in their public forum and it gets sorted for you.

Social media is easier (and no doubt cheaper) to operate than other traditional customer service channels. It's not limited to a specific location (i.e. it can be operated from anywhere there's internet access and not just based out of a single office somewhere).

Social media is also an easy way to communicate information to a very large number of people.

I know for a fact Virgin (and many other companies) now take social media very seriously indeed. Quite rightly too. The way people communicate is changing like it or not so companies do have to keep up.

[Darren Wheeler]

Whether they have the balance right is something we can debate for years.

At least they are trying to engage with customers and it allows another channel for customers to contact VS.

It would be better though if they deleted all the spam promptly.

The excellent Scrooge y) suggested I try Facebook when I was having trouble getting any sense out of VS and VH following a problem or three.

So I joined Facebook, posted on the VS wall, got a private message by return and a satisfactory outcome within 48 hours.

So it works from the consumer's point of view or it did this one. y)

However, it has left me spending far too much time on Facebook since!!

However, it has left me spending far too much time on Facebook since!!

No one forces you to post your *ahem* 'jokes'

:O)

[mitchja]

This week I contacted BMI though Facebook as my new DC card never arrived. TBH I never even thought about emailing or calling to get it sorted.

A similar thing when I had issues with Virgin Mobile. The first place I looked was on Facebook and Twitter. Neither are offered by VM so I went down the traditional way of contacting customer service.

However, it has left me spending far too much time on Facebook since!!

No one forces you to post your *ahem* 'jokes'

:O)

Tonty,

BREAKING NEWS

*ahem* joke writers sacked.

But fear not (!), I have just got back from Lidl with 2 boxes of christmas crackers ):

xx

[Scrooge]

I just want to say, that Greg on the VS team for facebook is doing an outstanding job, as of late I have been less than impressed with VS, but Greg is certainly doing his best to keep everyone up to date with and info he gets y)

However, it has left me spending far too much time on Facebook since!!

No one forces you to post your *ahem* 'jokes'

:O)

Tonty,

BREAKING NEWS

*ahem* joke writers sacked.

But fear not (!), I have just got back from Lidl with 2 boxes of christmas crackers ):

xx

TWO? am sure one would have sufficed. What have we done to deserve two?

[mitchja]

I got an email from someone at BMI today telling me a new DC card/bag tag has been queued for production. The system works, allbeit one that's a bit different to what we were always used to.

It would be better though if they deleted all the spam promptly.

Yeah all those photos of Malaysia on the FB page are pretty annoying - nothing to do with VS!