Social Media Marketing

216

c h a p t e r

8 :

ENGAGEMENT ON THE S

OCIAL W

EB

■

Figure 8.4 Requesting Exemptions from 3-Hour Rule

This is where social business fits: Suppose the airlines and regulators had spent

(or do so in the future) more time with customers, explaining the entire process, and

seeking input? Rather than relying on a handful of anecdotes—“Next up on Breaking

World News, Meet 83-year-old Mildred W., who was trapped on a flight for 11 hours

when she tried to visit her great grandkids in Mt. Pleasant,” and the testimony of rep-

resentatives for airlines and passengers who may well have an agenda that is at odds

with those of actual passengers or actual airline employees—what if they connected

customers directly with employees and asked them to sort it out?

Consider that alternative: Would it not produce a better solution if a) the actual

participants in the process had a say in it, and b) those directly involved—including

passengers and employees—understood the entire process and why longer delays might

actually be in everyone’s best interest? For example, what if instead of fines (which do

not flow back to the customer as a benefit in any appreciable form) the airlines were

required to provide wholesome meals if the delay crossed a dinner hour? Or what if