It feels a bit churlish to be using a volcanic eruption as a social media case study, but take a look at this presentation below by Corinne Weisgerber. It shows how KLM, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, American Airlines and Delta have responded (are responding) to the flights crisis using social media.
It’s a real time lesson in crisis communications, reputation management and customer service. It’s a good example of the value of developing a well managed social media infrastructure. And it’s a lesson in the value of actually listening to your customers and responding with content they value.
So what have the airlines done? Many of the Airlines use a combination of Twitter, Alerts, Facebook, their website and videos to address customer concerns in a timely fashion, point them in the right direction for more information, keep their customers updated, genuinely reach out and show real concern, and demonstrate that they are really there for their customers.
Having said all that, to be honest, my real interest in this presentation is the fact that people affected by the crisis are reaching out to each other to help put people up, offer them a lift home, offer advice where to stay, instead of relying on the state. Warms the cockles of your little heart! Check out the #ashtag hashtag on Twitter and see what you find.
