Facebook Friend or foe?

Social Media services like Facebook and Twitter can be very useful tools for companies to get in contact with their customers and for their customers to let them know how they feel about the company. Used properly it can work very well for a company but like many things on the internet it can also go wrong! There have been many examples of companies using Facebook and Twitter wrongly and getting caught out. Its very similar to celebrities getting caught out when they make a comment on Twitter and it coming back to bite them in a big way.

It was an interesting post on Facebook by Plymouth Citybus which highlighted some of the pitfalls of using Facebook in particular which caught my eye…

PLEASE READ! – Our facebook page was set up a couple of years ago with the aim to improve the way in which we get information out to customers and suggestions from you, the passengers. Recently the page has turned into a channel for abuse at Citybus, our employees and other users by the minority. This will be and has not been tolerated, with people being banned from the page. We have a series of channels set up for customers to complain, which is via our website, e-mail, phone or visiting our travel centre, which get officially logged into our system. Any complaints made via facebook will not get put into our system. This page has been invaluable over the last couple of years getting information out, especially during the winter distributions. We are currently putting in procedures in-house to make monitoring of legitimate questions better. Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. Citybus

It does seem that one of the biggest issues people were complaining about ( often in a quite nasty way) was the lack of response to questions from Citybus, and I think that the Citybus post does show that they are aware that they need to find a way to monitor the forum and perhaps respond a bit quicker to legitimate questions. I am sure neither company can afford to have a full time member of staff just sitting there on Facebook so it has to be managed alongside other work commitments which is not always easy.

Citybus have now started to post when they are online and offline and have posted that this “is part of our new social media plan to help stop people get frustrated when citybus are not there as the page is not monitored 24/7. It is done across other bus companies within Go-Ahead Group, so we are trying it out!” It does show that they are seeing how other Go Ahead operators are doing things to see if they can be applied down here.

First are also very active on Facebook and also get their share of angry passengers and the occasional abusive comments which is sadly all to often a feature of social media. One thing I have picked up on though is a very different tone to their replies. First seem a lot friendlier in how they respond…

The number 1a coming from town is often late but last night was 15 minutes late, in turn making myself late home and my husband late for work.

Hi Joanne, I'm really sorry to hear that. We do try and things don't always run smoothly but 15 minutes is unacceptable. If you would like me to investigate a particular incident please let me know the time it was due and where you were standing (in addition to the service number and direction) and I can arrange for it to be done for you.

8:34 1 service also failed to turn up or is going to be late, causing me to be extremely late. thanks first! you have really excelled yourself today.
Oh dear, sounds like quite a few things have gone wrong here. Please fill out the details here including the service number, direction, time and boarding point so that a full investigation can be carried out

There has also been a fair bit of discussion about overcrowding on some routes…

What is wrong with your company? Why send a single decker bus to south Devon college if you know it's just going to get packed and people are going to be refused to get on the bus because it's so full!!!??
Hi Dennis, sorry you've been having issues. We don't like buses being overcrowded any more than you do, so we don't send out undersized buses unless we really have to. We continually monitor all of our routes and do the best we can to ensure that our vehicles are suitable, but the problem here is that there are only so many double deckers to go around.
Then a short while later

Ssh, don't tell them, but we're trying to poach a couple of double deckers from another college for you.
first well done, you managed to pinch 2 double Deckers for us xD thank you! Hope you can keep it up!

Later we get another take on the same issues

just out of interest why do you always use the 100 year old double decker that breaks down every 2 miles on the South Devon College run instead of the normal not so old ones? Yet the kids at Totnes school who are more likely to vandalise the bus, frequently get a nice new one that can actually accelerate up a hill and is reasonably comfy?

It's probably down to where the buses have come from and where they are going next.
Yeah but someone obviously sits down at some point and says right this bus is going to go on the X80 at 8 this ones going at 9 ect, and that old bus is always used for the service that runs through the college and I find it quite annoying and rude to be very honest, why should we all be stereotyped as vandalising students and given an old bus that you think if someone was to put chewing gum on the seat.. It wouldn't matter so much?

Sorry you feel that way but it's not quite like that - we don't send old buses to people we think will break them because we don't think people should be breaking them in the first place! I'm not sure exactly why the buses are sent round like that but knowing the depots they will be thinking much more about the types of roads and capacities, not just on the school/college trips but on the other routes those buses will be doing before and after the afternoon run. I'll see if I can speak to them for you.

Hi , it's not a secret that we have a shortage of double deckers across our depots. Fixing it is not an instant thing, but it's something we are working on with a view to fixing it over the next couple of weeks. We have a list of routes we would like to increase the capacity of and the 48 is on that list.

This friendly response to comments on Facebook has attracted at least one admirer:

I bet u got the best job because u get to chat on facebook. Im on my way to work on one of your buses at the moment.

I don't just sit on Facebook - honest!

because I have got no proof, I am going to have to take your word for it. he he . U up to anything nice tonight?
I'll be driving buses and monitoring Facebook! You?

Finally there is one really short but sweet exchange I really liked…

Oh dear First wonder why no one riding on 88
We've got enough thank you Sue!

Well done to First who do seem to have things about right on Facebook. For the record I feel that Citybus are often quicker to use Twitter to update current issues with services in Plymouth, often being the quickest to let passengers know of severe disruption due to accidents etc. They are also more likely to tweet when buses are delayed due to breakdowns etc. Both bus operators are clearly working hard to make the best use of Facebook and Twitter. I am  sure it must be a demoralising job at times when you see some of the comments that get left by people!

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