As of 1pm yesterday, 122,749 were still without power from Sunday's storm. 25-year old Andre Francis is in charge of responding to the numerous attacks on Pepco from Twitter. Though its only his third day on the job, Francis is getting a good lesson in crisis communications.
Responding to angry customers in 140 characters trying not to upset them more is a challenge. Pepco is using social media because "you talk to Andre and know you're talking to a real person" says Francis's supervisor.
"I understand your frustrations"
"I undestand your concern"
" I appreciate your humor"
are a few of the phrases Francis has been tweeting, along with tailored responses to individuals.
After a 2009 cold front that left thousands powerless, Pepco realized that traditional press releases weren't working. They decided to respond to their customers where they were voicing their complaints--online. Francis created the Twitter account as part of his social media duties.
I have to give props to Pepco for getting online and having an employee whose job is to monitor the social media sphere. And I really don't envy poor Andre trying to stay afloat during all the complaints and #pepcosucks hashtags.
Full article here: http://bit.ly/bcQQmI
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3 comments:
Great post! I was tracking this story and think it is about time they were more responsive. I was without power for three days with a newborn in May and it was beyond frustrating! Poor Andre though - tough start to a new job!
Maybe this is obvious, but It just occurred to me that Pepco, of all companies, is particularly well suited to do customer relations on Twitter because the network is still widely accessible via text/smartphone during power outages. At least Pepco is doing something right.
Totally agree! Sounds like Pepco is finally taking a page from @ComcastCares -- It seems like no one is happy with Comcast's service, but everyone agrees you can get a great customer service through @ComcastCares on Twitter. It should be a no-brainer that other service-based companies do the same! Good to hear that Pepco has finally caught on.
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