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| Ewww! |
I had no intention of naming the neighborhood eatery where we were having our weekend brunch. And then, just as I was snapping the photo and my husband said “Don’t tweet it! You don’t have to tweet everything, you know.” Or something to that effect, I was caught smartphone-handed by the restaurant manager. I had just snapped a pic and he seemed to have heard every, every word except for the “I had no intention…” part.
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Twitter bird icon credit: Bruno Maia, IconTexto
Well, at the very least the owner was 'twitter savvy' enough to recognize a potential issue when he saw one (or saw you for that matter...) so kudos to him. I have used twitter to let hotels know of an issue - and received prompt attention/response.
ReplyDeleteAll to say, customer service is well served by twitter...
Definitely! I think any service-oriented business not savvy enough to understand the impact of social media today is taking a big risk. I suspect the restaurant manager would have been equally concerned and apologetic but he may not have come across as nervously even a year or two ago.
ReplyDeleteBy the same token, I don't like using my knowledge of social media to demand and expect a higher level of service than the average consumer.
A savvy business understands how social media works. I had the worst home tech issues until I tweeted to Rogers. 3 months with our own private CS agent & a 4 figure refund on our bill later, we are happy. Would never have happened without Twitter. Kudos to Rogers for "getting it". As did your restaurant manager. Love it.
ReplyDeleteI love the power of social media like Twitter & FB to hold businesses accountable. In the scenario you describe I think you did the right thing and the best thing but it's bigger businesses that don't seem to care to go the extra mile that deserve the bad 'press'.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a different world now. Before an unhappy customer would share their bad experience with an average of 10 ppl. Now it can go viral in just a few minutes!
Shit happens. Have you never inadvertently ended up with a hair in food that you prepared? I don't blame the manager for being stressed about the prospect of having the issue tweeted to the world. The crowd mentality can be brutal and this non-issue could have been blown way out of proportion. Your husband was completely correct, "you don't have to tweet everything."
ReplyDelete@Daly Beauty I think all businesses will need to be more savvy in order to survive going forward. Rogers was one of the first big Canadian companies to offer customer service on Twitter. I know most of their social media team and they do "get it". Glad they were able to help you resolve the issue. (Discl. they're a long-term sponsor of PodCamp Toronto and I'm a lead organizer of the event.)
ReplyDelete@Kelly, it's often easier for smaller businesses to experiment and get involved in social media because they are more agile and have fewer layers of management. I disagree that big businesses don't get it. There are a lot that do and others that don't, regardless of business size. I love seeing small businesses that do get it. I also realize smaller businesses may be more at risk by not understanding social media and have the most to gain by taking it seriously.
@Anonymous I agree, hair in food can happen anywhere to anyone. Believe me, I have lots of it and I know. ;) However, I think you've missed the point. I don't tweet everything and I had never planned on tweeting anything about the restaurant, only the photo with the text "Ewww!". Since I published this blog post, I've been asked to identify the restaurant and I've refused. BTW, Your comment would have more impact if you'd post your identity.
We were once eating at a restaurant when a mouse ran right across from us. When we pointed it out the waitress she was completely unapologetic and said "All restaurants have mice". I have had my share off icky restaurant situations and bad customer service and haven't usually complained publicly via social media. But some things - including mice - are unacceptable and I greatly appreciate the ability of social media to give some outlet of power to consumers.
ReplyDeleteSocial media has made reputation management more difficult for businesses and individuals, given how damaging a negative tweet or Facebook post could be.
ReplyDeleteTwitter can be a powerful tool when you it's looked after. That's an awesome response you got.
ReplyDeletenowadays, I 'm more active in twitter than FB.. since most of my friends use twitter too and in twitter I won't find any stupid game request..
ReplyDeleteUndeniable what social media can do for or against a commercial establishment, particularly a dining place.
ReplyDeleteOkay, first of all....GROSS!!
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I do not think he would've given you anything. He did a complete 180 from the time you informed him until he overheard your Twitter comment.
Twitter to be used for good or evil??? You be the judge.
I'm glad he recognized the threat and cared enough to keep you as a customer. Thanks for stopping by Posed Perfection last week and leaving me a sweet comment. I hope you'll visit again soon. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Nici