There isn’t anything terribly exciting about withdrawing cash from an ATM, unless perhaps you receive an unexpected wad of cash or see a few extra zeros at the end of your bank account – but I think we’ll all agree that never happens.
I was going through the motions of this fairly mundane task earlier this week and had that horrible feeling you get when you realise that you’re never going to see that precious little piece of plastic ever again. Yup, you’ve guessed it; my bank machine was peckish and decided to chew on my debit card for dinner.
So, there I am, left standing without my card (and my cash) with the imminent task of having to phone the good ole’ 0800 number to try and get it resolved.
This was Monday evening and I was going on holiday on Friday. Going abroad without your bank card is ill-advised, so as you can imagine, it wasn’t an ideal situation and I wanted this sorted fairly quickly.
A phone conversation with customer service did not resolve it. I was then asked to go into my nearest branch and speak to someone in person, and after a fairly unhelpful face-to-face conversation, where I was told to expect a new card in seven working days, I was getting pretty frustrated with the whole thing (to put it politely) and wanted something done about it.
I won’t bore you with the specific details but it has a lot to do with my bank’s current changes following the fall out between Mr Lloyd and Mr TSB.
So, me being me, I turn to Twitter.
I decide to take Lloyds TSB up on the offer proclaimed in their Twitter username, @AskLloydsTSB by dropping them a tweet in the hope that I could receive a new card before jetting off on holiday.
Just shy of fifteen minutes later, I receive a response from said bank. Following the usual Twitter query protocol, they asked for more information and how they could help. The tweet was signed off with the Twitter agent's initials which I liked as it initiates ownership, reassures me that it’s going to get resolved, and quite simply, adds a personal touch which can sometimes be difficult to convey in 140 characters.
Given the sensitive nature of my banking queries, I replied via direct message (DM) and we exchanged three quick-fire tweets before I was given a direct number to call about my query.
I suddenly felt in a better position with my Twitter dialogue giving me ammo for the call. A short five minute telephone led to me being offered something called a 'card pull' meaning I would now receive my card in two working days. I was also pleasantly surprised (and really chuffed) when they told me they’d be crediting my account with some spending money for my holiday to act as compensation for my telephone calls and the inconvenience caused by having to go into the branch.
Ultimately, my query was resolved over the phone, but my Twitter exchange played an integral part in this and I have a feeling I’d be waiting an extra five days for my new card to arrive if it wasn’t for Twitter.
In light of this, I can’t help but feel there is added pressure for brands to impress on Twitter due to its public nature. When sending a tweet, it’s no longer a one-to-one conversation between customer and advisor. In my case it became an open dialogue involving my 2,000+ followers, bearing in mind that this number can quickly multiply if anyone decides to share it by re-tweeting it to their followers or by replying to my tweet referencing their own experience.
Lloyds TSB nipped this in the bud fairly swiftly and I made sure to publicly thank the agent responsible for my query as they did a great job.
Experiences like this remind me that, whether we like it or not, I’m not the only person chatting, enquiring and complaining about my bank online. And it’s not just banks. You name it, people are talking about it on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, oh and I did I mention forums?
Brands, no matter how big or small, need to take note, listen, but more importantly, respond. There is nothing worse than venting frustration directly to the culprit on social media for your query to be ignored - and I can vouch for that, so I thank Lloyds TSB for responded to me so quickly.
Right, now I’m off to get organised for this holiday of mine…
Have you had any queries/complaints resolved (or ignored) on social media? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
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