![]() ![]() SILVERMAN: Right now, airlines are mostly using social media to issue faster apologies. And now maybe I should just get permission from my manager to give her an upgrade on the flight and communicate that to ground personnel so that when she checks in, you know, she's just being told that you've been upgraded. We have had three issues in the last three weeks. THOMAS: And that's where the real magic happens because you can quickly find out this is a high net worth customer for us. SILVERMAN: And get this - social media can also help airlines identify who's an important, high net worth customer. SHASHANK NIGAM: You know, if someone asks Southwest Airlines hey, when are you starting a new flight to Bali? You know, that's not as relevant a question to be replied in real time as someone who's at a gate and says, I'm about to miss my flight. New technology and GPS tracking could help streamline by prioritizing comments. Shashank Nigam, CEO of strategy firm SimpliFlying, says not every airline has to hire so many social media mavens. And that's in addition to their call center. SILVERMAN: Major international airlines like KLM have more than 130 people on their social media team dealing with complaints, comments and compliments within an hour. THOMAS: Most airlines are finding social media channels to be a very cost-effective way to deal with customer service issues as well as marketing opportunities. SILVERMAN: Ragy Thomas is founder of Sprinklr, which helps global companies manage social media. RAGY THOMAS: These command centers are popping up everywhere. And so that was kind of a fun interception that, you know, we're already on top of it. It was just in the process of being approved, and they were about to get the e-mails with the vouchers. PETTIT: His 15-year-old son had already tweeted at us, and we had already filed a complaint, issued compensation, taken care of the whole thing. Shannon Whitney says a few days ago someone called in a complaint the old-fashioned way only to find out. SILVERMAN: Social care representatives - yes, that's what they're called - say this technology makes it possible to solve problems without having to wait in line or on hold. ![]() So before they turn to Twitter or Facebook to ask us what's going on, we have all that information. That allows us to be more proactive in responding to customers. ![]() PETTIT: So any cities or locations that have severe weather - if there are any significant flight delays, we're able to see those as they happen. It's directly connected to the real flight command center. That's what makes this social media command center stand out. She points up to eight large flat-screens displaying the news, trending topics in the airline industry, photos and videos people have tagged with Southwest and detailed flight data. SILVERMAN: Ashley Pettit is with Southwest. LAUREN SILVERMAN, BYLINE: In a glass-enclosed command center, nine Southwest employees are sitting in front of double monitors furiously tweeting and Facebooking.ĪSHLEY PETTIT: So on average, we're receiving about 3,100 mentions of our company every single day across the social web. KERA's Lauren Silverman visited the new control center at Dallas headquarters. Southwest Airlines has just joined the club. A growing number of airlines have hired social media first responders to help with customer relations. Flight running late? Wondering what happened to your lost luggage? Instead of waiting in line for information you might want to take out your phone and send a tweet or Facebook message. ![]()
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