Delta

This is going to be a post of a different sort.  There are so many things to discuss, it may even end up being more than one post.  Well, depending on how it all turns out, it may be an entire series.  First, the facts, then the business points, then my plea to each of you.

The Mrs. and I are planning a vacation with some others for September.  It has taken a while to lock down the dates and, having done so, to lock in a location.   To get to where we’re going, I am going to use miles.  The best airline for me to use to get to this place is Delta.  I have 200,000+ miles available in my account but they were due to expire at the end of April and at that point, our plans were not yet set.  With me so far?

To ensure that my miles wouldn’t expire, I transferred 25,000 miles from my Northwest account, Delta’s partner, into my Delta account.  Most airlines count that sort of activity as usage and extend the expiration.  Unfortunately, Delta doesn’t, so yesterday, when I went to book my tickets since our plans are now confirmed, my account balance was ZERO.  Delta miles gone.  Northwest miles, which were not due to expire, now gone.  Panic ensues.

I call Delta.  I tell the customer service rep my story, remind him that we’re ONE business day after the deadline, and beg him to reinstate the miles.   He speaks to his supervisor.  Can’t do it.  I speak to his supervisor.

“Sir, all you can do is email or write or fax to the number on the web site.”  Fax?  Snail mail?  She doesn’t know who makes this reinstatement decision.  In fact, she doesn’t know much of anything although she was very polite.

I immediately send an email.  24 hours later, I’ve received no acknowledgment that I even sent them one much less a decision.  I found them on Twitter.  Way to go Delta!  They must be listening – monitoring all mentions of @deltaairlines, right?  Posted 2 things mentioning them – nothing.  I followed them figuring, OK, they’ll follow me back so I can direct message them.  Nothing.

So I’m stuck.  I want to book the tickets but I’m in limbo.

Business lessons?  If you’re going to use social tools, USE THEM!  Obviously no one is paying attention.  This is a chance for Delta to show how the great tools we have for instant communication can help companies, particularly companies in a VERY challenged business, to get close to customers.  The fact they have these tools is a positive; they fact that they don’t know how to use them is even worse than if they hadn’t employed them.  If you ask for incoming emails, how about an immediate autoreply that you’ve received something from me even if you can’t yet discuss its disposition?

Let’s go back a step.  Why not use the fact that I have miles expiring to send me a note 6 weeks ago to remind me of that?  At the same time, offer me a cheap fare.  Ask me to buy some miles to extend the expiration.  Don’t waste the opportunity to have a positive customer interaction.

I could write another 1,000 words about the lessons Delta could learn from this but enough free consulting.  I need your help.  Please repost this, link to this, tweet this or, best of all, send it to someone you know at Delta who can help.  I’d like nothing better than to write tomorrow about how wonderfully Delta solved this issue and to prove that social media is for more than our kids to post funny photos.  These are powerful tools that are changing how business works, but only for companies that use them properly.  Let’s show them how.