$180 Million Customer Service Foul-up
How Social Media Amplifies Customer Complaints and Business Risks
It used to be that an angry customer would tell an average of 8-16 people about the poor service at that organization. What would the fallout be if an unhappy customer told 3 million? It happened for real several years ago when Dave Carroll got fed up because United Airlines broke his guitar in baggage and refused to replace it. He wrote a song, ‘United Breaks Guitars‘ and posted it on YouTube. Within 10 days the video had gone viral with over 3 million views. United’s share value dropped by $180 million. That’s an expensive guitar!
Savvy managers recognize that they are expected to manage risk. It does indeed cost money to properly train employees on recovering customer goodwill after a mistake. That investment, however, is a proverbial drop-in-the-bucket compared to the risk of not training. Today’s universe of social media means one disgruntled customer can do serious financial damage.
What’s your plan this year to give your team a customer service tune-up? If you’d like some options, let’s have a brief zoom chat. Then if it looks like a possible fit, I’ll put something in writing for you to consider for 2025.
Today’s chuckle:
The real art of diplomacy is not only to say the right thing at the right time. But also to leave the wrong thing unsaid at the most tempting moment.
Written By Jeff Mowatt (original content – not AI generated)
Was this helpful? For additional information on this topic: Customer Service Trends/Strategic Planning
You’ll find more of Jeff’s Trusted Advisor Customer Service tips or subscribe to receive a new Business Building Tip every two weeks.
Curious about Jeff’s training resources? Click on Shop for details. If you’re interested in a customized presentation for your organization, contact Jeff at [email protected]
Jeff Mowatt is a customer service speaker, customer service & sales trainer, a business communication strategist, award-winning speaker, and best-selling author.