Manila Bulletin
September 22, 2011
MANILA, Philippines — Recognizing the growth in social media as an exciting chance to expand customer service reach, the budget airline with the most aggressive growth rates in the country is also the first to introduce round-the-clock dedicated customer support service on popular social media sites, Twitter and Facebook. Airphil Express’ 24/7 social networking presence is seen as integral to operationalizing its customer-oriented policy, not just during flights but also in the crucial before-and-after sales.
The development of Airphil Express’ customer service feature is instructive of what it takes for a brand to be receptive to the pulse of consumers. When first launched in March this year, Airphil Express provided social media customer support during office hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Less than three months later, the servicing period was extended until 10 p.m. weekdays and included weekends, which more than doubled the incoming number of comments from Twitter and Facebook users. Noting that messages asking for updates about flights especially during the rainy season were being posted in the wee hours, the airline pushed for the August launch of its “any time of the day, any day of the week” customer assistance to provide quicker or almost real-time responses, just less than six months since the airline started the feature.
The dynamics of customer service around the world have changed since the boom of social networking. The “personal” becomes “public” in a matter of seconds, and this becomes an area of opportunity or a source of problem for many businesses, especially if complaints are not attended to or are being acknowledged but not fast enough for the consumer involved.
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