Twitter for Customer Care: Vodafone makes it work

If you're one of the many who haven't yet seen a value in Twitter, you may be interested in my recent experience.

I needed to upgrade my Vodafone contract and phone the other week. It took a while, but I eventually got through to a very helpful Vodafone rep, who listened to my requirements and found me the perfect tariff. I was delighted.  Until, that was, I received in the post from Vodafone, the "quick reminder" of what I'd signed up to, and realised that what Vodafone thought I'd agreed to, wasn't at all what I believed I had agreed to. Several phone conversations later (it's never just one call, is it?), and I think I had managed to rectify the disparity. But I wasn't confident, and there was still another unresolved issue outstanding.

I'd been considerably irked by one particular call during this process, and at the end of a long day, I was turning into a bit of a Grumpy Old Woman where Vodafone was concerned. I needed to poke somebody, so I went on the hunt for a Vodafone feed on Twitter. And what do you know, I found one.

I Tweeted a rather petulant "harrumph" about the service I'd received. That same evening I received a cheery and genuine 140-character response, a desire to understand what my problem was, and find a way to help. It seemed there was a real person at the end of the Twitter feed. A short exchange of emails later and my issues were swiftly, efficiently and fully resolved – by a real person, blessed with common sense, courtesy and a really great attitude to customer care.

So this is a note of my respect and appreciation to @VodafoneUK and in particular to MatC (you know who you are), on the case on Twitter, for the Web Relations Team. MatC, you may just have got Vodafone another 13 years of my custom!

12th Aug 2009